Sickfics A to Z
by Linneagb
Summary: Title says pretty much it all, ABC series of sickfics. Will do various characters and pairings but mostly Klaine and Barole
1. Appendicitis

**So... I love writing sickfics and needed an excuse to write more than one. And then I was working on this Barole A to Z- story and had this idea… but I wanted to finish one of my stories before putting a new one up so I did and… here we are. **

**I will do various characters and pairings but characters will be mostly Burt, Carole, Kurt and Blaine. Pairings mostly Barole and Klaine then, I have got some possible plans for Burt/ Kurt's mum and Jarley… but we'll see what happens when this story continues. So… onto the first chapter.**

**A is for Appendicitis **

I took another deep breath trying to ease the nausea I was suffering from but that just made my stomach hurt even more. I tried pressing my palm against the right part of my abdomen but it only got worse and I couldn't help the moan that escaped from my throat.

I looked around, no one had seemed to notice my moan in pain. The pain and nausea eased again and I stood up to get to history class. This class was usually one of my favorites but now I was just leaning against the bench with head in my hand. While I listened to Mr. Maxwell's babbling about how Columbus found America.

After history it was only glee club left and my stomach pains were getting so bad I was seriously thinking about asking Mr. Schuester if I could just dismiss glee club today. But I knew that I had finally talked him into having a solo and dad was having a dinner- date at home with Carole Hudson so I decided to just go with it. And everything would have went fine if I had just been allowed to sit on that chair but I couldn't. It was my solo and I had to do it.

But it had only just started when a new wave of nausea hit me and when I felt bile rising in my throat I knew I was going to throw up- and that I wouldn't make it to a bathroom. I quickly look around for a trash can and spotted one by the bookshelf so I ran over to it and fell to my knees just as I started gagging.

After throwing up I rested my elbow against the wall, my hand against the bookshelf and my forehead against the back of my hand trying to take deep breaths to ease the nausea. My throat was burning and my stomach still cramping after the throwing up. I could see Mr. Schuester's kneeled down next to me and the others- disgusted most of them but a couple of them also worried- looks on their faces in the back of the room. I turned my head to look into the wall, not wanting to face the others in embarrassment.

Mr. Schuester had got one palm against my back and I could feel the other brushing away tresses from my forehead to feel it. Right away followed by statements. "Kurt you're warm" and "I could drive you home if you need." I sighed and pushed myself up in standing position on shaky legs.

"No thanks… Mr. Schuester… I'll just drive home." I walked over to the chairs slowly, grabbed my bag and then head out of the choir room. Luckily for me I didn't meet any bullies on the way to my locker or on the way out. But on my car there was laying a paper with the text "fag". I threw the paper away and sighed, then climbed up in my car and put the keys in it and started driving towards my street.

When I- after what felt like hours to me- rolled up on our driveway a new wave of nausea hit me, I leaned against the cool window of my car and waited for it to ease until it was gone and then grabbed my bag- and on still shaky legs- but trying to put myself together made my way over to the house.

"Hey dad, hey Carole." I shouted when I came indoors and tried to make my voice sound steady. It was followed by greetings from the kitchen. I took another few breaths as a new wave of pain hit my stomach and I had to fight my very hardest not to moan. "Hey… I'm just… ehrm… glee- club was dismissed early today. I think Finn was going into town or something." I tried to come up with more excuses as yet another wave of nausea hit me.

"Kurt honey?" Carole's voice was heard. "Are you alright? You look very pale." I nodded, answered her I just hadn't been sleeping much. Then- when I felt the nausea escalate again I told them I had loads of homework and just as Carole's phone started ringing I closed the door to the basement and stumbled down the stairs, threw my bag at my bed and then ran into the bathroom.

I held one arm wrapped around my stomach as it cramped in heave after heave- soon going into dry- heaving as I hadn't eaten much for lunch. And it felt like hours before it had stopped, and I laid down my head on the cool porcelain. Not even bothering how many germs there were there.

"Oh my God Kurt!" Carole's voice was heard behind me and then sound of rushing footsteps. I couldn't help but moan- I really didn't want to destroy their date like this. I heard lockers open and close and water running before I felt a wet cloth wiping of my face- at the same time as Carole was rubbing circles on my back with her other hand. "You should have told us you were ill- Finn called and said you'd been sick at school." I sighed- of course. And if Carole knew it- my dad was definitely finding out about it soon- if he hadn't already.

I moaned as yet another wave of nausea hit me and pushed myself up over the bowl as I started dry- heaving again. Carole's soothing voice was heard and she rubbed circles on my back. After what- yet again felt like hours to me. I laid my forehead against the porcelain of the bowl and took deep breaths. Carole started standing up mumbling about getting my dad but I immediately grabbed for her hand to stop.

"No please don't tell my dad. You can… Ow." My stomach cramped again and I crouched in an attempt to ease it. Carole brushed her fingers through my hair and then hollered for my dad, and just a few seconds later his heavy steps was heard coming down the stairs to the basement.

"You okay kiddo?" he came and kneeled down by me. I nodded. Stuttering something about "I'm fine." And "you just go upstairs and continue" but it was even more failed attempts. They weren't buying it and slowly every muscle in my body- one after another went limp and I sunk into dad's arms.

"I'm sorry." I felt a lump rise in my throat and tears in my eyes. "I didn't want to destroy your date." Dad just continued to rub my arm, before he scooped me up. Causing another wave of pain to flash in my stomach. I whimpered but that too just made it worse.

**Carole POV**

"Ow, ow." Kurt whimpered in pain when Burt laid him down on the couch in the living room- it would be easier for us to keep an eye on him here than what it would be if he was in his room. I was by his side right away. Fussing over him, stroking his forehead and talking in a soothing tone, telling Burt to get a thermometer to feel his temperature and a bucket in case he'd get sick again.

I took the thermometer, placed it under Kurt's tongue, still combing his hair with my fingers. Kurt sniveled but kept the thermometer under is tongue until it beeped and I pulled it out and read it.

"102.3." I stated. "Oh you poor thing." I continued brushing his hair and sent of Burt to get a wet washcloth to cool Kurt down. Burt came back with it with warm water and I sent him off again. Kurt was still awake and drowsily looked up at me. When Burt came back again he gently told me to go home, I first stated that I was gonna stay but at last we compromised- I would go home. But only if Burt would call me if he needed help with anything no matter how late or how early it was.

Finn sat in his room playing video- games when I came home. I made him dinner and then he disappeared into his room for the rest of the night. I tried different things to keep my mind of the Hummel's. Reading, knitting, cleaning even doing laundry and paying bills but all the time I thought about Kurt. I was worried about him and I had a feeling he wasn't just suffering from some common twenty- four- hour- bug. And I kept my phone on the loudest volume all the time to hear if Burt was calling.

Also when I went to sleep I kept my phone on the bedside table, and the clock had just passed half past three in the morning when Burt's name read over the screen and the sharp signal woke me up with a start.

"Carole?" I didn't have the time to greet him before he started speaking. "I'm so sorry for calling this early but there is something really going on with Kurt and I don't… I don't know what to do." I jumped out of bed, pulled on the clothes from yesterday and grabbed my car keys holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder.

"I'm on my way." I told Burt as I drove out of our parking lot. "I'll be there in ten." Thank God it was so early in the morning there were almost no one out so there weren't any traffic. Already barely five minutes after hanging up on Burt with his words "please hurry" filled with worry for his son. I skid into the parking lot and ran up, and didn't even bother knocking the door before pulling the door open and rushing into the house.

Kurt laid curled up into a ball at the sofa, his knees pulled up and his arms around his stomach, quietly whimpering while his dad sat by the head of the sofa with a hand on his son's shoulder and worry shining from his green eyes. It didn't take me a lot of thinking to have an idea of what this might be as I rushed over to Kurt's side and laid my hands on his shoulders.

"Kurt." I said calmly. "Can you lay on your back for me just so I can feel your stomach and see if it is what I think?" Kurt whimpered and shook his head. But with me and his father's soothing voice and hands gently pushing him he rolled a bit until he laid on his back.

"Ow, ow, ow." Kurt whimpered the whole way while sobbing. "Ow stop." I stroke his forehead. Oh God, the boy was burning up. I slowly rolled up Kurt's shirt and started feeling the right part of Kurt's abdomen.

"OW, OW, OW…" Kurt screamed during wilder sobs. I lifted my hands up- thank God I had decided to take a course in how to recognize the most common illnesses and injuries. I continued stroking Kurt's hair and at first soothed Kurt.

"I know sweetie. Sch, sch, I'm done now. It's okay… Burt." I looked up. "I think he's got appendicitis, we'd better get him to the hospital as soon as possible." Kurt whimpered and started stuttering things like "no doctors." And "please no hospital." Burt sighed, but got his car- keys and then scooped up his son wrapped in a blanket.

Burt got into the front seat while I sat down in the back seat with Kurt with his head on my lap. I played with his chestnut brown tresses at the same time as I spoke with a colleague setting the OR ready and trying to sooth Kurt. When we were only a few minutes away from Lima memorial I hung up and started stroking Kurt's cheek in an attempt to calm him down.

"I want my mum." Kurt whimpered quietly- only just loud enough for both me and Burt to hear it. It broke my heart. I heard Burt snivel as well and could see his eyes in the rearview mirror. They were so filled with pain. I knew that pain, or something like it at least. Every time I wouldn't be enough for Finn. Every time we reached a part in Finn's life when he'd need his dad more than ever. But I swallowed my pain, continued the attempts to calm Kurt down.

Kurt didn't mention his mum anymore.

Kurt was half unconscious when we three came through the doors to the ER. We were immediately sent up to the OR. It wasn't until Kurt outside the OR room was lifted by his father down on a bunk he seemed to wake up. His fists gripped hard around the fabric in Burt's shirt and refused to let go as he was begging his dad not to leave.

"No please, please don't leave me dad. Please don't, please…" Kurt continued begging with half- suppressed voice. He wasn't letting go of Burt's shirt and Burt didn't have the heart to force him to let go. I couldn't either with seeing how heartbroken Burt was from all of this. At last someone did hold Kurt's arm still long enough to poke a needle in it and soon his muscles went limp. Dr. Miller examined quickly in the hallway. Then confirmed my beliefs of appendicitis.

"You cannot come with us any further Mr. Hummel." My colleague Stacey Wasserman said, Kurt's bed was rolled away and he disappeared out of our sight. Burt sunk down on one of the chairs in the hallway and stroke his face. I kneeled down in front of him and took his hands.

"Is there anything I can get you? Water? Coffee?" Burt shook his head and looked to his knees. "Hey… Kurt's alright. He'll be fine in just a few hours." Burt nodded, but didn't look at me. I raised and then sat down in the chair next to him. Burt leaned over when I held my hand on the back of his neck and leaned against my shoulder. He had his eyes closed but just as I thought he'd fallen asleep he spoke up.

"I'm sorry I had to call you that early." I opened my mouth to tell him I was glad he'd called me but before I had the time he spoke again. "Kurt was in a lot of pain… and I'm just no good at… stuff. Seeing him in pain is like with Eli…" he stopped in the middle of speaking his ex- wife's name. He didn't have to continue, I understood.

Burt sighed and sat up, leaned his arms against the supports on the chair and his head back against the wall. "I'll be back in a minute." I told him and walked down to the lounge in the ER. I grabbed each cup of coffee from the machine for me and Burt and bags of skittles and a couple of chocolate bars from one of the cupboards. They were actually just for the staff but- it didn't matter now. If it would then I could buy what I had taken and put that in the cupboard.

I greeted a couple of colleagues in the ER and placed the candy in my pockets, took one paper cup in each hand and walked up into the OR- hallway again. I handed Burt one of the cups and threw the candy in his lap. I myself took one of the bars and pulled the paper off. Burt threw most of the things on the seat next to him and then took one of the bags of skittles and opened it.

"He's a strong kid my Kurt." Burt exclaimed all of a sudden. "He'll try as long as possible to act like he's fine. If Finn hadn't called you he'd probably still be acting like he was fine." He leaned forward towards his knees and took a sip of his coffee. I smiled and mostly to have something to say I explained how Finn always asks for things when he's ill.

We went to talking about our boys. It was the best thing to make the time go faster and yet Burt kept on checking his watch every second minute. I tried my best to keep his mind of things and keep him from checking the clock. But… I knew it didn't really help. Not so strange- if it was Finn in the OR I would have been running back and forth in the hallway asking anyone and everyone I saw if they had any news about Finn.

About an hour after we saw Kurt being rolled into the OR Stacey came back, told us that everything had went well and Kurt was being sent into a room in another hallway. I grabbed the plastic from the skittles and chocolate and threw it in the trash can before following Burt and Stacey into a room where Kurt still laid unconscious on a bed.

Burt sat down on one side and there was only a little while until Kurt started waking up. I stroke his hair while Burt talked to him and when he was awake I did raise the bed so he could sit up. He looked drowsily from Burt to me, then to the back of the room, and mumbled something I couldn't catch. Burt asked what he said and then I could catch the word duck, and Kurt pointed

I smiled, Kurt would be high yet another while and for that while I and Burt was gonna hear both one thing and the other, Burt started babbling about ducks, pink dolphins and green elephants, I laughed and then checked my watch.

"I'll go home now, if not Finn will sleep through the whole forenoon." I kissed Burt's head and stroke Kurt's hair before turning around and walking towards the door. I turned around walking through the hall and looked through the window to the both Hummel's.

Yeah- Kurt would be alright- they would both be. Or at least as alright as possible. I shoved my hands in my pockets and pulled out a chocolate bar out of my pocket that I started chewing on, on the way to the parking lot. That was when I realized I did have my car at the Hummel's, I sighed and walked back to Kurt's room.

Finn would be alright missing a day of school- I knew there was no way I would make Burt leave Kurt in this and after all- what could be better on a day off than hearing someone babbling drugged about green elephants, ducks and pink dolphins?

**So… I rewrote the ending quite a few times, I hope you liked it. Isn't high Kurt just adorable? Yeah I thought so. That part right after Kurt says he wants his mum was quite hard to write, I hope I did alright. **

**English is not my first language, I come from the land of lagom, fika and köttbullar. And as well, anything you recognize, is not mine. **


	2. Bullied

**KlaineForeverLover07: **Agreed, poor Kurt. I am, I am! And thank you for your review.

**Lilangel1: **First of all, I love your user- name. : ) And thanks for your review Then, yeah, poor little Kurtey. I'm gonna work on this tonight but since it's my brother's birthday I don't know how much I'll get done. But tomorrow's Friday so it shouldn't be too long (written February the 20th)

**Precious- passenger: **Thanks for your review. Agreed, poor Kurtey. Aw, thanks I'm glad you liked it and I'll try to have this done before the weekend's over (written Saturday)

**There is an author's not I'm going to leave in the beginning of each and every one of the next chapter of all of the stories I'm working on. If you think this is nothing but self- pitying and seeking for attention then feel very free to think so, but I need to get it out of my head. And let you know how much I appreciate you- also- if you read more than one of my stories, then you're gonna see different versions of this A/N more than one time. So here it is for this story **

**When I, ten, fifteen years from now look back on the six months from the ending of July to the middle, ending of January in 2013/2014 I'm not gonna be able to say it was easy. I'm not gonna be able to say it was a good part of my life because it simply wasn't. Things were getting quite rough and as soon as I had just a little bit control over thing something new happened and knocked me right over again. **

**But even when things were at their very hardest I had always somewhere- someone- to just- you can call it fall back to. Or do something so I would forget about things if so only for a while. And that somewhere is fanfiction. And these last months it has really meant a lot to me I had this because I knew that even when I was at my worst and wasn't good at anything I would always be enough here. That's why my readers has really meant a lot to me in these times.**

**So to you- yeah, just you who are reading this- thank you. There is no way I could have gotten through it and gotten better without you. So… onto the chapter. **

**B is for Bullied **

Finally, it felt like it had taken me ages to get home today as I placed my bag on the floor and sunk down towards the wall to the floor wrapping my fingers around my throbbing ankle. It was a good thing dad would still be at work I thought, as I let out a whimper over the pain in my ankle and forehead.

"Kurt?" I heard from into the kitchen, it was Carole's voice. Oh darn. I flinched and that was enough for pain to shoot through my ankle again. I lifted my fist and bit it not to whimper again. I heard footsteps and then Carole came through the kitchen door.

"Are you alright sweetie?" I took a deep breath in, and brainstormed for an excuse that would sound believable for my dad's girlfriend. Then nodded and took support against the wall to stand up. I nodded, brainstormed again and tried to stand up leaning against the wall. It worked, but then I tried to step out, and even though I pressed my lips together and gave my all not to make a sound a small whimper escaped my throat when I stepped on my hurt foot as I felt myself sinking down towards the floor again.

I couldn't for my life give any guesses of why it hurt so much more now. After only sitting down for a minute or whatever the pain from stepping on it seemed to have escalated by about ten. And no- I had no idea why, but continued brainstorming while Carole came rushing and placed her arm behind my back to support me.

"I…" I started stuttering. "I fell in the stairs. I was walking down to…. To find Finn and tell him we have… have an extra assignment in history class so I… I was walking down the stairs and looking in my bag for it and tripped on a stair. I…. I must have stepped a bit weird I think I may have sprained my ankle I… It's probably not that bad." I sat down on the sofa and Carole kneeled down in front of me.

I flinched when she pulled my shoe off, she apologized but said she needed to take a look at it. I was glad I hadn't used the new Derek Police's boots I had bought a few days ago today. I was going to but changed my mind, and now it seemed like my choice of wearing low shoes was great. Carole started pressing certain parts of my ankle that was shifting in blue and purple and swollen. I bit my lip and waited for Carole's questions and comments, but they didn't come. She just started pressing certain spots and bending my ankle with her hands. I flinched at certain spots of pain, she looked up at me quietly, asked if it hurt there. I told her it wasn't too bad. At last she stood up again and started talking to me.

"It's just a sprain, not a severe one yet not a very light one either. You're using crutches for at least a week, I've got a first aid kid in the car I'll get the supporter…" She took a couple of steps towards the hallway I started to push myself up again. "And don't move until I get back." I sunk down half towards the sofa again but when I heard the door close behind Carole I pushed myself up and slowly made my way over the floor towards the kitchen. I didn't want to ignore Carole but I knew dad would be home in about half an hour and I needed to make dinner.

"Kurt" Carole exclaimed when she came indoors again, and her disappointed tone got me feeling even worse for ignoring her. I hadn't gotten very far anyway and Carole just took my hand, laid my arm around her shoulders and led me back to the sofa. She pulled open a bag of cooling gel and started stroking it towards the hurt parts of my foot.

"Kurt." She exclaimed again. And I heard she was being very serious now. "I want you to tell me the truth about how this happened." I was going to keep my lie about falling in the stairs, but obviously Carole wouldn't buy it. I brainstormed for more lies but when I started stuttering something new about falling in glee club she just looked up at me. That wasn't a question about telling her the truth- it was an order. And she- as the mother hen she was wouldn't leave it until I had told her the truth.

"I… I was pushed into my locker and then when I fell someone stomped on it." I said quietly. And I really had to make an effort not to either whisper it or to say it all in one word. Carole looked up at me again, now with a distressed look in her eyes but didn't say anything more while she rolled the support- bandage around my ankle. Then she raised again and sat down next to me.

"Kurt… does Burt know about this?" I shrugged, I guess he did. I guess he actually didn't. Carole asked a few more questions about the bullying. I managed to talk her into not telling my dad and then I would deal with the bullies. She seemed to be hesitating but at last I managed to talk her into it and then I started pushing myself up of the sofa again, of course with Carole pulling me straight down again.

I protested about the fact that I needed to cook dinner before dad was coming home, Carole bit her lip thoughtfully and then stood up and walked out of the room to come back with the desk- chair from dad's room.

"Come here." She helped me to get over to sit on the chair and then pushed it towards the kitchen, I just shook my head. Even though I'd have to admit this was a pretty good idea. Just as she pushed the chair by the hallway the door opened and dad came in. He first laughed when he saw us but silent when he saw my foot. I knew he knew, yet I told the story about falling in the stairs to him too. He seemed to be doubting it, but didn't do anything as he pushed me back towards the sofa, helped me to get over to it again and then placed the remote to the TV in my hand and told me to stay there.

Carole was apparently going to stay with us for a couple of days from now- they were doing some renovations at the Puckerman's- where she and Finn were staying. I just quietly ate my dinner and then moved to the living room where I watched a marathon of say yes to the dress. I really felt bad for the fact that it didn't work out with her and Finn living here. After all- it was my fault what Finn had said when dad came into the room. If I just hadn't been so…

"Kurt? Kurt?" Dad's voice brought me back to reality. I woke up from my thoughts and shook my head, Carole was standing there with a pair of crutches, fastly explaining that Finn had broken his leg a few years ago and she had saved the crutches in case they would need the crutches again. I took the crutches and stood up to see if they were the right length for me.

They could be as much right length as they possibly could, I knew it wouldn't keep the bullies away. But yet I kept my promise to Carole. I would try to deal with the bullies and when I saw Karl and Cole come up to me- two of the guys of the hockey- team- Karl was the one who had pushed me into the locker yesterday and Cole the one who stomped on my foot. They were both about three times my size but I was not going to give up my promise here.

"Oh, K look. Faggy Hummel have hurt his little footie. Poor Faggy." I bit my lip, then closed my locker with a bang and faced them. I had made up a plan of what to say but now it all seemed gone and I first stuttered something and then took a deep breath and spoke.

"You know you can throw anything you want after me. You can call me whatever you want, push me into lockers, punch me into next month or whatever you want I am still going to be me. And even if it seems hard to believe for you it's exactly who and what I want to be." I stopped talking when the hockey player's laughter echoed through the hallways and Cole pushed me into the locker with all his power again.

While they were walking away I sunk down onto the floor with tears slowly rolling down my cheeks. So yeah- I had kept my part of the promise. I had dealt with the bullies- I never promised it would work and make it better though. And to what prize? Because I was pretty sure what I had just said was making the bullying a whole lot worse than better.

**So, to the last few notes. If you want to know how I got Finn and Carole to staying with the Puckerman's- it is in the second chapter (brothers) of my other A to Z story. And as probably many of you know there is nothing called Derek Police's boots, I totally made it up because I have no sense of fashion at all. **

**Oh and Carole pushing Kurt on a desk chair isn't my idea. It comes from Precious- passenger's story "people like us" which is a story that you all should read because it's just so darn beautiful- so now you all know that. Go read it **

**This chapter- as you can see isn't that good. I hope you liked it anyway. **


	3. Concussion

**Klaineforeverlover07: **I promise there's gonna be at least one sick Finn chapter before this story's over. Or I think so at least, while writing this I'm choosing between about five different ideas for the C- chapter, one of them is with Finn.

**Klaineisendgame: **Thank you for your reviews

**Lilangel1: **Thanks, I'll try not to.

**Precious- passenger: **Thank you and yeah, wasn't that so… Carole? I don't think the bullies are going to be introduced more times, it's just simply with the series that Kurt transfers and then when he's back the bullying's better. I'm glad you liked it and thank you again.

**Sam: **Thank you for your suggestions, but if it's not too much to ask for, could you instead of writing suggestions for the titles write suggestions like "one where someone goes to the dentist" and I'll see if I can get it into a chapter. I already have decided what D is gonna be so… sorry, and I've already got so many for C I don't want to add another one, but I might write something where someone cuts him or herself later. Thank you

**C is for concussion **

I leaned back in the chair, rested my head backwards, stretched out my legs, put one arm on the arm support of the chair and let the other rest over my eyes, then finally I made time to take a deep breath. It was almost time for Nationals and we were starting to decide how the rows were gonna be- of course Artie in the front, then there were only the rest left.

We had decided and gone through members and places what felt like hours- yet it was only twenty five minutes until I had asked them to take ten and then sat down in one of the red chairs of the audience spaces. It sometimes felt like I enjoyed these five, ten minutes break a tiny little bit too much.

I closed my eyes and shoved my hands in my pockets. Took another deep breath, don't get me wrong! I did love my kids- now as much as I ever did but, sometimes- like times like these they could be a handful. Rachel of course wanted her and Finn to be in the front, Mercedes and Santana also did nag my ears off about being in the front. Finn would go with anything, Sugar wanted to be in the very front- in front of Artie too, and she was… being her mostly. That along with Rory, Puck, Brittany and everyone else.

"Mr. Schue?" I heard and raised my head and opened my eyes to see Rachel and Finn standing in the stairs frowning towards me. I smiled slightly and sat up fully again. "Are you alright?" Rachel continued. "You do look a bit tired." I scratched my eyes and stood up.

"I'm fine Rachel- thank you." I stepped up on the stage and sighed quietly as the audiotourium started filling with my kids again. Well, not mine- yet my kids. I was so tired I barely knew up from down, I had barely slept tonight, and I felt a headache coming with a throbbing behind my eyes. I looked to my watch. Just twenty- five minutes left and then I would be able to go home, take an aspirin and lay down to sleep.

To get just another few seconds before I'd have to face everyone I kneeled behind one of the speakers and pretended to fix something with the chords, then I took support against the top of it to stand up and walked over to the kids.

"Ehrm." I began. "Artie," I took a grip with each hand on the holds of Artie's chair and rolled him over to in front of the middle of the stairs on the stage. Then it started again, Rachel, Finn, Puck, Rory… and the list went on and on… all until the back row.

"Brittany." I said and stepped up on the highest step. "You stand here…. Blaine?" That was when it happened, I stood turned with my front towards the other and when I took some steps to the side to show Blaine where he would be standing I must have stepped backwards. My foot was mostly outside the stair, this I didn't realize until I had lifted the other foot and felt the first disappear under me as I fell backwards and hit my head in the stair, then I felt myself continue to fall down to the floor down below, before everything went black.

"Mr. Schue?" The next thing I knew was someone calling my name. "Mr. Schue please wake up." My eyes fluttered open to see my kids standing around looking worriedly down at me. I was laying under the stairs we had put up on the stage but couldn't remember why I was here. And why was there a throbbing on the back of my head and why did my knee hurt so much?

Slowly what had happened came back to me, I had stepped over the edge and fallen, hit my head on the stair and then landed- legs first on the floor. There had been a crack in my knee when I fell but- but I could move it and everything so there probably wasn't anything broken. Slowly I started moving each arm and leg and then slowly pushed myself up in sitting position despite a few of the others nagging me to stay down.

"He's sitting up now mum." Finn said in the phone- oh I should have guessed he was talking to Carole- after all- she was a nurse- and this wasn't exactly the first time he'd called her for advice- he seemed to be doing that every once in a while when he needed her for different stuff. I sighed and leaned backwards and closed my eyes when the room started spinning.

"Whoa." Sam put his hands behind my back when I started swaying. "You alright Mr. Schue… maybe you should go to the hospital…" I shook my head slowly and carefully- I didn't need that, I was fine I just needed a minute or two to catch my breath.

"Maybe you have a confusion" Brittany said. "My sister Kimberley had a confusion once- she got dizy then!" I heard Santana answer that it was called concussion then shook my head carefully again. I didn't have a concussion I could just. I tried pushing myself up but it made the room spin again so I fell back. Finn told his mum something else and I closed my eyes when the room was spinning again.

"Mr. Schue." I heard Finn's voice and I opened my eyes slightly to see him sitting there with his phone held to me. "My mum wants to talk to you." I lifted my hand and took the phone he held to me and put it to my ear while resting my elbow against my knee and my forehead against my hand.

"Yes Carole?" I sighed and drew deep breaths when the room started spinning again. I heard Carole say something but it was all so blurry I had to take a few seconds and then ask her to say it again. I closed my eyes and what felt like I was sitting on a boat in wild storm slowly eased.

"Will?" The sharp tone that was made of Carole's voice when it was in the phone straight into my ear got the headache escalating again. "Will? Are you still there?" I took a deep breath and then answered her yes. Without planning on it I started swaying again and I reached up to hold on to Rory's shoulder.

"Will, only from what Finn told me when you were still out and what I can hear now, I can tell you've got a concussion, give the phone to Finn and I'll tell him to drive you here…" I knew Carole worked at Lima Memorial, but I really didn't want to go to a doctor.

"No… I'll just…" I swallowed. "I'll just go home, take an aspirin and go to sleep." I so should have guessed that was the wrong answer- and that Carole- as the mother- hen she was would have some stubborn in her.

"Will, I swear, you are under no circumstances driving or sleeping at this point and if I so will have to I will get to McKinley myself and pull you along here I will do it. Now let Finn drive you here so we can get an X- ray of your skull and then keep you under observation." I sighed- she was right, I gave the phone back to Finn and with each arm around Mike's and Puck's shoulders I got up.

With both feet on the floor and standing up I got dizzier than ever and if it hadn't been for being stubborn and Puck and Mike holding me up I would have collapsed yet again. I closed my eyes for a couple of seconds, then opened them again to look around to the worried expressions of my kids.

"Hey guys." I said, weaker than what I had planned. "I'm fine okay? Mrs. Hudson want me to come into the ER and… I don't think I've got a choice so… I'll see you on Thursday." I limped out of the room slowly while the others wished me to get better, it took some while, but at last I- with some trouble climbed up in the passenger seat in Finn's car and then just sat there half- sleeping all the way to Lima memorial. I probably would have been sleeping if Finn wasn't so determined to keep me awake he kept on shaking my shoulder every time I was close to.

Finn was also determined to carry me into the ER, no matter how much I kept on telling him I could walk with some support he still lifted me up and walked through the door to the Emergency room. "Mum" I heard him exclaim. I was embarrassed to have a teenage boy carrying me already so being carried through the ER to an examination room didn't exactly make it any better.

When I was finally laid down on a bunk Carole leaned down and raised the bed so I could half sit up while she and the doctor- whatever his name was- I had already forgotten- got out their equipment. Finn mumbled something about calling Emma and before I had the time to say anything about it he was out of the room and the only thing left to do for me was rest my head backwards and answer Carole's questions.

Wave after wave of worse and worse nausea hit me, and at last I told the doctor about it. After all- I couldn't become much more embarrassed than what I already was so why not throw up on top of all that. He shoved a basin into my hands. I continued trying to take deep breaths trying to ease the nausea but just at the next wave that hit me it got too bad and I hung over the basin, throwing my guts out- yep, I had officially embarrassed myself as much as possible- in front of a student's parent on top of it all.

"You okay?" Carole asked when it was finally over. The doctor took the basin from my hands and walked away with it, I leaned back again. My throat was burning and my stomach cramping, just then the door opened and Finn came into the room again. Apparently he had been speaking to Emma, and she was on her way.

"So what happened?" Carole asked, feeling the back of my head after lumps or bruises. Finn hesitated. Then started explaining how I had fallen from those stairs, hit my head in the back of them and then fallen to the floor, hitting my legs in one of the supporters for those stairs, then blacked out for about a minute. "Is it just your head that hurts?" I shook my head, but before telling her about my knee- I knew I had to tell her.

"Carole- Finn, I'm very sorry. But this is a very… Is there any chance that if I need a nurse it could…" I thought about how to express myself in the best way possible, Carole just smiled softly, clapped my shoulder, explained what I had been trying to say, laid a hand on Finn's back and walked out of the room.

Another nurse came in, started asking questions about what had happened and where it hurt. I answered them drowsily but every time I was yet again close to falling asleep somebody was and shook my head and told me not to. Don't get me wrong- I was really trying not to fall asleep though my eyes would just close by themselves.

I started gabbling songlyrics quietly to myself to have something to concentrate on so that maybe I could keep away, and continued doing that while I was sent up a floor to get X- rays of my head and leg. Also during the time they took X rays I continued laying there gabbling Lady Gaga, Journey and Britney Spears songs.

When I was sent down to the ER again to wait for the X- ray pictures I started wondering where Emma was. Couldn't she get away from work? Was there loads of traffic? Had she been in an accident? The options were spinning my head and after a while I was so worried and so confused I barely knew up from down.

"Hey honey." After some while Emma, Carole and a doctor came into the room, Carole and the doctor put my X- rays on a board and discussed quietly about what they saw while Emma was just sitting there running her fingers through my curls.

"Hey Em." I answered hoarsely. Emma just smiled softly and continued stroking my hair. "Emma… you don't have to stay here. I know you don't like hospitals." Emma shook her head and answered me no, she'd stay. And just then Carole and the doctor came walking over to me again, the doctor started fixing with a monitor while Carole looked to me.

"There are no injuries on your skull or the bones in your leg. But you do have a concussion, not as severe as I thought at first. We'll keep you here until tomorrow for observations. We're hooking you up to a monitor so we can keep observation over your vital signs- and then you can fall asleep. You've got a pretty bad sprain in the muscles around your knee that probably comes from you turning it when you landed, so you will have to use crutches and keep the leg high for a few weeks. Because of your head injury you will also have to keep of things as watching TV, sitting by the computer, drinking alcohol, training and reading for a while. But after that you'll be good as new."

The doctor started putting the monitor by me and attaching it to me, to be honest I had no idea what vital signs were and I only remembered small parts of what Carole had just told me when I yawned and finally was able to lay my head down and fall asleep. Before that happened though- I had talked Emma into climbing up next to me. She rested her head against my chest and the last thing I knew before I fell asleep was hearing her slow breathing and knowing that everything would be fine.

**So- that's it, my goal was to have this up before the day is over and it's now nineteen minutes before midnight. Good part about being home alone with my brother and being on mid- term holidays. **

**I hope you like the chapter, yes, I'm aware of that Mr. Schue may be a tiny bit OOC- but come on- in his place when he came to hospital and with students and Carole and everything- anyone would have been embarrassed. **

**I wasn't gonna put Carole in this chapter but… you'll have to forgive me for doing it anyway- she's my favorite character. And oh, vital signs are things like how many times your heart beats a minute, how many times you breathe a minute, blood sugar level, blood pressure and that kind of basic stuff**


	4. Date

**Precious- passenger: **I'm glad you liked the chapter. YAY, yes I'm trying to get the characters from the series in character. Yeah I can totally see Mr. Schue doing that, what does musings mean? No Kurt wasn't mentioned in the chapter, he was in the room but having him do something probably wouldn't have added something to the storyline. "phew" I'm glad he wasn't, and I'm trying to update as fast as I can.

**Lilangel1: **Thanks and I am, I am

**D is for date **

I knocked the door and took a step back on the Rose's porch steps, I heard steps from inside and then Mrs. Rose opened the door with a big smile towards me and her eyes sparkling as usual. I really liked Mrs. Rose, she had the biggest heart and the kindest personality you could ever imagine, but people only saw how big she was and usually didn't care about getting to know her.

"Hello Jake." She continued smiling and stepped to the side so I could step over the threshold and into the house. Then she looked up and down on me. "Wow, you look really nice." I thanked, I'd have to admit I had put an effort into getting dressed with nice jeans, leather jacket, red vans and button up along with a bunch of red roses for Marley.

Just as Mrs. Rose lead me towards the living room Marley came walking down the stairs, she looked stunning in a red skirt, dark red converse and glitter beret with a blue off the shoulder shirt- shirt without shoulders- not that I knew what an off the shoulder shirt was.

"Oh, ehrm." I cleared my throat. "Wow Marley you look amazing. Ehrm…" I heard Marley thank me and then saw the two Rose's smile and shake their heads at me before I pulled myself back to reality and looked down at the Rose's in my hand, not really knowing what to do with them I scratched my head, oh yeah- give them to Marley.

"Here… I brought you for roses." I held them out, if I knew myself right, with the silliest smile ever. Marley laughed slightly and took them, then kissed my cheek, which just made me sway and while I tried to regain my balance Mrs. Rose had gotten a vase to put at the table and put the roses in.

"Marley are you okay?" Mrs. Rose asked her daughter and that question brought me back to reality instantly. "You look a bit pale." Now when I thought about it, Marley actually did look very pale, she looked like she had done in the last few days before sectionals with pale white skin and dark shadows under her eyes.

"Oh yeah mum…. No Jake I know what you think, I have been eating. I'm just a bit tired." I felt a gust of worry- but shook it off, there was no need for me to worry. Marley would tell me if there was something going on- would she?

"I… if you're tired we could just stay here." I said at last. But Marley just shook her head and answered me no, Mrs. Rose came with a coat that I took and held out for Marley. I had decided a restaurant for today and it was within walking distance from the Rose's so I led her down the sidewalk and when Marley saw the sign to the restaurant she stopped, I guessed it was because Marley had really been longing to go here, but didn't think I could afford it, but when I turned my head to look to her, I knew I was wrong.

Marley stood with one arm wrapped around her stomach and the other hand on her head, she was swaying as if she was dizzy and I quickly reached out to grab her in case she would collapse. "Marley," I stroke her arm and let her lean against me. "Marley please say something." It was a couple of seconds and then Marley opened her eyes. "Marley sit… sit down." I sat down on one knee so she could sit on my other knee and then started stroking her back.

"I'm okay," she exclaimed. "Really, I am." She stood up slowly but I chose not to let go of her as I started standing up too. "Oh my God we're going to Sadie's." I hesitated, told Marley that maybe we should just go home and order pizza, then come here some other time, but oh God when she looked at me with those blue eyes I couldn't tell her no, so we ended up walking towards Sadie's where we stepped into a room that was mostly a dance floor but with tables set around, I walked up to a waiter and told that I had ordered a table for two.

I pulled out the chair for Marley and then pulled my own jacket off and hung it on the chair while the same waiter- a Mr. Kian Parker came running with menu's for the both of us. We ordered and there hadn't been five minutes when Mr. Parker came walking with our plates. Marley barely touched her food and I was becoming more and more worried, at last I put my knife and fork down and took her hands in mine.

"Marley… baby what's going on?" Marley looked up at me, and I could see when she let her mask fade and she took a deep breath and with her voice almost breaking she spoke to me.

"I don't feel so good." Just as she'd said it she put a hand over her mouth, stood up and ran towards the bathrooms, I jumped to my feet and followed close after calling her name. I was about to follow her into the bathroom but just as I came a female member of the staff came and stopped me.

"Whoa mister, you cannot come in here. See that sign there…" she pointed towards the sign that said lady's room, I just heard myself stutter something about "my girlfriend being ill", at last, as we both- and probably the rest of the restaurant- could hear Marley throw up from inside a stall the staff member stepped away so I could go in, I felt the door to the stall, but it was locked.

"Marley… it's me, please open the door." The door clicked and after what felt like it had been ages I could step into it and kneel down by Marley. Marley was wet with sweat, her fringe laid glued to her forehead, and when I felt it I could immediately felt an unusual heat, I reached up to flush the toilet, then lifted Marley up and she buried her face in my shirt while I carried her out to the restaurant.

Mr. Parker came running again and helped me to pull Marley's jacket on her as I was still holding her, he laid my coat over her and I asked him to just send the bill home to me before I walked out still carrying Marley.

The cool late February air was cold towards my bear arms and I felt myself starting to shiver as we drew closer to the Rose's then suddenly Marley lifted her head from my chest, and before I had had the time to fully react, she threw up over my coat and my chest.

"I'm sorry Jake." She whimpered, I did my best to stroke her arm, got a better grip and continued to walk while I was over and over again explaining that it didn't do anything, and then finally I walked up on the driveway and up the porch steps to the Rose's. I leaned down to manage to open the door with my elbow and as soon as the door was opened I shouted for Mrs. Rose.

"Oh my." Mrs. Rose came rushing out in the hallway and led me towards the living room where I laid Marley down in the sofa, I didn't know what else to do so I started unbuttoning my shirt, turned it inside out, folded it and laid it to the side, then I did the same with the leather jacket and Marley's coat.

I sat on one knee by the sofa when Marley slowly opened her eyes and looked to me. I couldn't quite know why at first but she smiled a little. "You know your abs are perfect right?" She said quietly, and smirked. I chuckled and just continued stroking her hair- I hadn't really realized I didn't have a T-shirt under the button up, but well, there wasn't much to do about that.

"Jake." I heard Mrs. Rose say in a moaning tone. She placed a bucket by the couch and then walked out of the room, coming back with a T- shirt that she handed to me, saying something about a "Peter" I pulled the T- shirt on and then continued stroking Marley's hair from my space on the floor.

"Jake." Marley opened her eyes again. "Can you please come and lay down with me." I glanced up at Mrs. Rose, she nodded slightly. I helped Marley to sit up then climbed up behind her and let her lean against my chest. Just as she had she shot up again, I quickly grabbed the bucket and held it under her chin just in time before she started heaving.

"Sch" I stroke her back with my free hand. "It's okay. You're okay." At last, the heaving stopped, Mrs. Rose took the bucket and walked out of the room, and Marley turned to her side and leaned her cheek against my chest. I leaned over and kissed away a tear rolling down her cheek. Then I hugged her tighter and started humming on let me love you.

"I'm sorry for destroying the date." Marley whimpered, this knocked me off and I stopped singing. I thought a moment about what to answer her because I didn't want to say something wrong- as usual- and make her feel even worse.

"You didn't destroy anything." I exclaimed at last. "Marley you're ill." I kissed her forehead. "Don't you dare say you're sorry." I rested my cheek towards the top of Marley's head and started humming again, Marley fell asleep and while she was asleep I pulled up my cellphone and called my mum to tell her I wouldn't be home tonight.

Marley woke up and started heaving again about half an hour later, this time there was nothing left to throw up so she started dry heaving, I did my best to comfort her, stroke her hair and her back, held her close while humming on let me love you, but I still felt as if I didn't do enough. I swore to myself that if there had been a way for me to take this from her, for me to be ill instead so Marley wouldn't have had to- I would have done that without a doubt.

Until about three the next morning Marley woke up about twice an hour and threw up again, I hated seeing her in all this pain and never stopped wishing there was something I could do. Instead I continued doing what I could, I wanted to make her eat so she wouldn't have to dry heave like that, but after sitting with the same spoon with soup in my hand trying to make Marley eat for half an hour I had to give up.

At about three in the morning I fell asleep too and didn't wake up until several hours later, Marley was still tired but I suddenly got an idea, I put on YouTube and laid the phone to the side while I lifted Marley up bridal style and started to sway a bit back and forth with Marley in my eyes, moving her with moving myself while singing. Mrs. Rose just sat by the foot on the sofa and smiled, Marley rested her head towards my shoulder as we finally got the dance I had planned but we didn't have time for before we had to leave Sadie's.

I left the Rose's early that night to go home, I didn't really want to leave until Marley was fully recovered but Mrs. Rose told me to go home and get a good night's sleep to then come back in the morning. When I came home I wasn't feeling too well and I was hoping I wouldn't have caught the bug from Marley.

But when I woke up early the next morning I knew it was only foolish of me to hope as I jumped out of bed and ran only barely making it to the bathroom before I started throwing my guts up. When mum came down the hall I leaned my head against the toilet trying to catch some air before it was time for the next round of throwing up.

It finally ended and I laid down on the floor, I was too tired to keep awake, but too weak to get back to bed so I folded a towel as a pillow and fell asleep right there and then. Waking up about forty five minutes later by someone kneeling down by my side.

"I'm so sorry." Marley almost whispered, I groaned and told her to go home, she'd have to rest to get well. She only smiled at me and shook her head. "I can rest later, right now, I'm taking care of you."

**Awwwwwww, seriously adorable. I got to say my favorite part was Jake "I brought you for roses" So cute. **

**On my profile there is a link reading "Linneagbffn" if you press it you can come to a polyvore- page where you can find Jake's and Marley's outfits. **

**I have a few ideas for the next chapter, it will be sad, then happy, then sad… but I think you're all gonna like it. **

**English is not my first language, never was, never will be. **


	5. Elizabeth

**KlaineForeverLover07: **Thank you. I will never understand how anyone cannot like Jarley. They're so cute. Yeah I like Marley too. She's a great character.

**Lilangel1: **Thank you. I'm trying to get on with the story as soon as I can.

**Precious- passenger: **Thank you. But I think you misunderstood the joke a little. The joke wasn't that he brought roses for Rose's. The joke was that he mixed up the words with seeing how beautiful Marley was. I didn't do that either so much from the beginning but when I continued watching s4 when it came out on DVD I started liking them more and more. Yeah- I loved the idea about them dancing in the living room and I'm so glad I thought of it. Yep- how could I not put that? Jarley are so cute

**Leoni123: **Thank you. I'm doing my best to write so it gets cute- I love writing cute. And you've got the E down below and in the chapter's name.

**Gleekforever12345: **Thank you, I'm glad you are. I try updating as soon as I can and I am, I am.

**IMPORTANT NOTE DOWN BELOW **

**Listen guys, I have since before made up my mind that in this chapter I will use the kind of language that needs to be used for this chapter. I'm not meaning that I'm going to be swearing or etc. I mean that there might be medical terms, and you might be disgusted but… this doesn't seem like the right time to sit here and censor everything, so if you don't like- don't read. **

**Some of the parts in this chapter- especially some of the memories are slightly based on parts of the song "don't take the girl" By Tim McGraw- if you listen to the song you will see which parts. Take a listen to the song- it's awesome. **

**Anna and her parents are syoc's I have sent in to LocalXmusicXjellybeanX's story it takes a team. But I've had to change Anna's age a bit to fit it in with the storylines here- but I came up with the storyline and then I just couldn't let it go. **

**E is for Elizabeth **

"Sch, sch, sch." I comforted my Elizabeth. I sat on our bed, Elizabeth sat on my lap and I had my arms wrapped around her as she cried into my chest. We had been sitting like this since we came home from the hospital. We were both in chock, but Elizabeth had been crying since we came home while I just did my very best to comfort her while the thoughts were spinning in my head.

Cancer! Breast cancer! Elizabeth? I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it. This stuff were things that happened to others. Not us. I sighed- well, that was what I used to think- until we went to the doctors to check what the lumps in Elizabeth's breast was- and we immediately were sent up to the oncologist. That was three weeks ago- and it had been almost five hours since we got the results and the final diagnosis- yet it still felt so unreal.

Elizabeth had kept strong from this morning, then through the meeting with the doctor, and on the way home. But in the hallway she just collapsed, thank God I was right behind her and could catch her before she hit something. For about five minutes I couldn't wake her up- I just sat there on the bed with her in my arms, stroke her hair and talked calmly to her.

Then she woke up, and just started crying, and after that she had been crying for almost four hours. She was still crying, but it was drifting off. As if there was no more tears for her to cry. Exhausted she leaned her head towards my shoulder and looked out the window- tears still shining in her eyes. I swore to myself that if there was one way for me to do this I would.

If I could be the one who had got something growing inside of me. Something evil and threatening- if I could take that so Elizabeth wouldn't have to I would. If I could be the one to know that I was going to go through surgery, chemo, nausea, pills, IV:s, needles and everything else there is that goes with cancer, while not even knowing if I would make it through alive or not- I would. If it meant that my Elizabeth wouldn't have to I would without a doubt.

"Mummy! Daddy!" The voice of my seven year old son woke me up from my thoughts as he came running into the room with my sister walking after him and looked to me. I could see that Debbie knew how it had gone at the hospital when she saw me and Elizabeth and while Kurt was running around showing a drawing he had done she came and sat down next to us.

"Kurt." Elizabeth stood up, to then sit down on the edge of the bed. "Can you come sit down please?" Kurt seemed to know that this wasn't the time to protest and came and sat down on his mother's lap. I had already moved to sit down next to Elizabeth and took Kurt's hand.

"I can come back another day." Debbie started pushing herself up and I quickly stood up to help her get up. Elizabeth and Kurt said goodbye to her for the day and then I walked with her downstairs. "I'm so sorry B." She said- I knew my sister and she probably didn't really know what else to say. "You just… just call if you need anything. It doesn't matter if it is in the middle of the night or any time. Just call okay?"

I hesitated- now was the end of December and Debbie and Michael's child- a boy we'd heard- was due to the middle of March- she'd have a lot to think about without me and Elizabeth calling her in every once in a while. I pulled Debbie's coat down from the hook in the hallway and held it out so she could pull it on.

"We'll call Andy or Elizabeth's sister Mildred in first hand." I said after a while. "Maybe mum too. If we can't reach any of them I'll call you okay?" Debbie nodded. "Thanks for today Deb, I know it was on a short notice but…" Debbie shushed, and then pulled me into her embrace- sometimes it would be easy to think she was the big sister with how she would protect me at times- in fact I was ten years older than her.

"Okay then. And don't even say it- I've had a great time and you know how Michael loves playing with Kurt. Bye B." She walked out the door, I made sure she got down the slippery driveway safely and then rushed inside and back to mine and Elizabeth's bedroom. I felt sick- if Elizabeth was important to me- it was nothing with how important she was to Kurt- so how were we going to explain to him his mum might not be okay again. I sat down and laid my arms around Elizabeth's shoulders and took one of Kurt's small hands in my bigger hand.

"Kurt" I began. "You know how we told you mummy was going to a doctor." Kurt nodded. "Do you remember that we said that the doctor had found some lumps that might be dangerous?" He nodded again. "I and mummy went to the hospital again today so the doctor could tell us if the lumps were dangerous." I swallowed. "And… he told us that the lumps were of the dangerous kind."

It went silent for several seconds. Then Kurt spoke up. "Will you be okay mummy?" It was the question we had been dreading but that we knew was coming. It would be very important of how we answered his question to not make it seem like there was nothing left to do for the doctors.

"The doctors will be doing their very best." I began at last. "Mummy will get meds, they will make her very sick and tired and will make her hair fall off. Mummy will have to go to the hospital every once in a while and the doctors might have to do an operation." Kurt nodded. "And I will have to go with mummy sometimes so either you will go to uncle Andy's or Auntie Mildred's or Auntie Debbie's. Or maybe Grandma's or they will come here to be with you so you won't have to be alone."

"But I want to come with you and take care of mummy." Kurt's lip was trembling and tears glittering in his eyes. I hesitated for a moment. How was I going to explain to Kurt that mummy might be so sick it would be better for everyone if he wasn't there?

"Kurtey." Elizabeth began. "I will get very sick. So sick there won't always be something you can do. And then I will need to rest so I can get better." She took a deep breath. "So then I think that the best thing you can do for me is to be somewhere else. And it's not because I don't love you- it's because I do love you and I don't want you to remember how sick I was." Kurt nodded and pulled his arms around Elizabeth's neck.

The doctors had decided to do chemo first. To see if they could shrink the tumors before they'd try surgery. New Year came and went and way too soon, only a few days into January, I and Elizabeth were walking through the hallways of the hospital to get to the oncologist. Kurt was at my brother Andy's over the night- yet it was yet only forenoon as I and Elizabeth were shown into a room. I climbed up on the bunk first and then Elizabeth came up and leaned back against me.

She whimpered when the doctor came with the IV she'd get cytostatic through. Elizabeth hated needles and I could never put in words how much it hurt me to have to hold her arm while the doctor put the needle in and Elizabeth whimpered and cried into my shirt. The doctor left and we were left alone- except for a doctor or a nurse that came in and checked the IV every once in a while.

Elizabeth just sat there. I asked her if she wanted me to go down to the kiosk and buy some papers of vogue but she shook her head, I just held her as she drowsily leaned against me, and then picked her up and carried her out to the car before I drove home and carried her into the living room, where I put on a movie she liked, placed a bucket on the floor in case she'd be sick and then just sat there with her.

"Burt…" a little while later Elizabeth shot up, I quickly reached for the bucket but not in time as she clapped her hands over her mouth- which didn't help when she threw up all over my shirt, the blanket she had, and herself. I quickly grabbed the bucket and held it under her chin just in time for when she threw up again. Grabbed a hairband from the coffee table and tied her hair into a messy ponytail.

"Sch, sch, sch." I comforted and stroke her back. "It's okay, you're okay." Elizabeth gripped hard in my arm with one hand and the bucket with her other- and it seemed like ages past away before her muscles tensed in one last heave and it went silent. Warm, salt tears were rolling down my love's cheeks- I wanted to pull her close and give as much of my comfort as possible but I didn't want to do that with vomit all over me.

"I'm s- s- sorry B- Boo" Elizabeth sobbed. I just continued stroking her back, told her that it wasn't her fault and a thousand times that I wasn't angry with her while she continued crying. I looked around, there were vomit over my shirt Elizabeth's shirt and the blanket- I needed to clean this but at the same time clean up Elizabeth and comfort her. Just as I started wondering how I would do this we heard footsteps on the porch steps and the front door open.

"Hello?" Thank God- I recognized the voice as Mildred's- Elizabeth sister, and I spoke up to let her know where we were. "Oh Lizzie." She walked right up to us, made Elizabeth stand up on shaky legs with one arm wrapped around Mildred's shoulders. The older sister held the bucket right under Elizabeth's chin while they made their way to the bathroom.

Mildred quickly came back and looked sternly to me. "Go change shirt- throw a cover or a blanket or something over the sofa- it will be easier to wash that than the sofa. Then go find something new for Lizzie to wear. I'll help clean her off." I nodded and walked to our bedroom to grab a new shirt, managed to pull the other one off while turning it inside out and threw it in the laundry basket and then sat down on my side of the bed and just stared without really knowing what I was looking at.

I drew a deep breath- I knew it was nothing compared to how Elizabeth felt now but I was exhausted. More than anything else I- of course I wanted to take care of Lizzie but I also wanted to just lay down and sleep. Or just, crawl up in mum's arms and cry my heart out.

We went to the hospital every day for four days after that. Kurt spent one day at his uncle's, then one at Debbie and Michael's, Mildred's, his friend Mercedes' etc. Every day he'd come home and meet me in the hallway where I explained that he'd have to stay somewhere else tonight too. Kurt would always bring a drawing, or something else he had made and I'd promise I'd give it to his mum and help him pack his bag- not that I did help so much though- I'd pick the wrong clothes, the wrong toys… so I just let him pack by himself.

One day I stood on the porch steps watching Mrs. Jones- Mercedes' mum stand by her car to greet Kurt. He was dressed in something I barely knew what it was called. "I know who you are Kurt." I mumbled- I'd known it since he was three and everything he wanted was a pair of sensible heels. "And when you choose to come out and tell me." I was mumbling more to myself than to Kurt when I saw Mrs. Jones hug Kurt, threw his bag in the back seat and help him climb into the car. "… I want you to know that I love you just as much."

Sure- when I had a son I saw in front of me how I would bring him to football games. Sit in the living room and watch sports with junk food and teach him to fix cars at my station. But I loved Kurt over anything else- and I wouldn't trade him for the world. So the day he'd choose to tell me who he was- I would still be right there and love him with all my heart.

By the weekend that round of chemotherapy was finally over. And it would be three weeks- and right in the last days of January before the next round. Andy and a friend of mine were taking care of the gas station most of the time now and I was sleeping early January the twenty seventh- my thirty fifth birthday when my phone started mumbling.

"Mhm Hummel." I answered drowsily, and started rubbing the sleep of my eyes. Starting to remember that I was at the part right in between thirty and forty years old at thirty five when I heard my sister's voice in the phone.

"Hello Uncle Burt and happy birthday." I heard in the other end- and I recognized the voice as Debbie's. At first my brain didn't register what Debbie had said.

"He… what did you just call me?" I sat up straight. Now? No it couldn't be! It was still a month and a half left before Debbie was due. But Andy didn't have any children so she was the only- the thoughts were spinning in my head through the seconds as Debbie explained to me what had happened.

"I woke up in labor and it all went so fast that by the time we reached the hospital there was no turning back. But the thing is…" The tone in Debbie's voice worried me. "You know how the doctors said it was a boy… actually they were wrong. Since three thirty tonight I and Mike are parents to a beautiful baby girl." Chocked- I leaned my head in my hands. "So… If Elizabeth's well enough why don't you three come over- we're in room three four seven."

After that I had hung up to my sister, I carefully woke Elizabeth up, told her what had happened and asked her if she wanted to go. I helped her to get up and then went to wake Kurt while she got dressed. I told Kurt to get dressed and brush his teeth and stuff so we could go meet his new- and first- cousin. Kurt more or less jumped out of bed, but still stood by his wardrobe for almost fifteen minutes and picked out his outfit to meet his new cousin.

I found Elizabeth sitting on her bed with her pills in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. She was tiredly looking first to the pills and then to me- her bottom lip trembling and tears rising in her eyes. "Hey." I said calmly and kneeled in front of her. "If you're not feeling well we don't have to go now. We can go another day." Elizabeth shook her head slowly and wiped away the tears.

"No… no I want to go… I'm just a bit tired. Oh… and happy birthday love." I thanked, then took one of the pills she held in her hand. Put it in her mouth, she swallowed it with the water. Then I took the next, and the next. A total of five small pills before it was done. How I fed her with them made us both smile. It was ironic to find that funny but- sometimes you just reach a point where you've got to make something good out of the hard things to manage to go on.

Kurt was nagging and nagging about going so I made breakfast for the three of us- poured juice in three old coke- bottles and brought them to the car. Kurt sat in the back- seat and ate happily while I tried to steer and eat at the same time. Elizabeth just sat there, looking down at the bottle and the sandwich without moving a muscle. I lifted my hand and stroke her hair. Asked her if she'd want me to drive home again and take this another day, but she shook her head and answered that she wanted this.

I concentrated on the road again- well- if someone looked at me they'd think I was- when in fact- my mind was pulling me twenty seven years back in time. When we were little I and Elizabeth had lived in the same block, then she moved when we were nine, and when she began high school she moved back- and that's when we started going out together. But when we were neighbors- I- as a little boy had been like most others little boys and not wanting to spend too much time with girls.

But Elizabeth had then- been very much of a tomboy. She liked to play soccer with us boys, would rather wear slacks than a dress, and there was nothing she enjoyed doing more than fishing. So when I was eight- and I and my dad was going out fishing- she came through the front gate with a fishing hold.

My dad was one of the greatest men I'd ever known- and he was not one of those who would say a girl couldn't come with fishing. So he'd looked down at me and told me that we couldn't leave her behind. I had begged him to take one of my guy- friends- or even Andy- who was at the time five years old and just as annoying as little brothers usually were. I had begged him not to take "the girl" But he did anyway.

That day I mostly sat on the side watching my dad help Elizabeth with her fishing equipment. Showing her things he'd swore were mine and his secrets. While he barely even looked at me through the whole day. I wasn't angry now- it was a long time ago- but the memories of how hurt I had felt that day were clear. And I could barely even believe that was the same girl that I'd love with all my heart.

I shook my head and concentrated on the road again. Turned some music on and heard the tones of defying gravity filled the car. Elizabeth was tiredly humming along while Kurt sang for all he was worth. I smiled and turned into the parking lot in front of Lima Memorial and walked around the car. Elizabeth only moved enough to look at me. And how could I tell those sweet puppy- eyes no? I leaned down and scooped her up in my arms. I told Kurt to hold onto the back of my coat while we made our way to the front door to the hospital.

"Would you like a wheelchair?" The receptionist asked me. I shook my head and answered her no. Then I walked through the hallways with Kurt's fingers wrapped around the fabric of my coat and Elizabeth tiredly leaning her head towards my shoulder. After several minutes I kicked the door to the NICU open and searched for my sister's room.

I didn't have any free hands so Kurt let go of my coat to hold the door open for me and his mum, and then I walked into the room, while Elizabeth lifted her head from my shoulder and looked up. Except for Debbie, Michael and the baby also Andy and my mum were in there. Andy more flew than stood up from the chair and I sat down with Elizabeth on my lap.

Debbie sat on the bed in the room with the baby girl in her arms, she was sleeping at the time and Andy had lifted Kurt up to see. Debbie looked tired but her eyes were shining in a way I'd never seen them do before. Questions of how everyone was doing and happy birthday wishes to me was sent back and forth. Until Elizabeth slowly stood up at shaky legs. I flew up on my feet but she held up her hand to show me to stay.

"I just need to go to the bathroom, I can go by myself." I nodded and slowly sat down again. I sat there but after Elizabeth hadn't been coming back I walked out of the room to go and check if she was sick or something. I found her standing by some windows in the hallway- looking into a room where maybe twenty to thirty babies were lying in each small bed. I walked over to her, but before I'd have the time to say something she interrupted.

"When I stand here and look at these babies- it doesn't feel as terrible anymore." I stroke her back. "The thought of- even if I'm not going to be here anymore the world will keep going on like it always did. Babies will be born, there will be… new- become parents happy and not even knowing about this. People will be born, live and die and the sun will keep on shining."

I looked down and bit my lip, not to show Elizabeth I was crying. "I don't want to do this Burt. I don't want to think about that I might not be here tomorrow. I just want to… let go of that, take the day as it comes and make the most out of every minute I can get." I nodded. I didn't know what else to say. She was right- but I didn't want to believe it.

I stroke away my own tears and then led Elizabeth back into Debbie's room. Talking like this seemed to have made Elizabeth decide to not just be there anymore. Not just sit drowsily in my arms barely hearing what was said- she walked over to Debbie's bed and I walked to stand next to her. "Have you decided about a name yet?" Elizabeth asked, Debbie looked down.

"Actually- we haven't." Debbie said. "We were so sure it was going to be a boy we only thought of boys' names- deciding that if it was a boy we'd name him Michael Jr. Then we thought about Mikayla but… it's just not her. Have you got any suggestions?" Elizabeth laid her hand to the side and looked to the baby with pitch black curls all over her head.

"She looks like a little Anna don't you think…" Elizabeth exclaimed after a while. Debbie and Mike both looked down at their daughter, and I could see on Debbie's smile that she agreed.

"In fact she does." Debbie said. "Anna… I like that." Mike agreed. "Maybe Mikayla as middle name then… Anna Mikayla Marston." Mike agreed to, Debbie placed a kiss on Anna's forehead. "Welcome Anna." I smiled, and stroke Elizabeth's hair. She smiled at me, and from that moment on I knew she was back- my Elizabeth was right there.

We stayed in the hospital with Debbie and Mike through the whole forenoon. When I drove home all three of us were singing defying gravity on the top of our lungs. If someone heard us they'd think we were crazy- especially with the fact that I sounded like a hoarse cow when I was singing. But it didn't matter to us as we sang.

I drove by McDonalds and bought lunch, Elizabeth took a few bites but couldn't eat anymore. It was too little- but at least she had tried and that was enough for me to know. I drummed with my fingers towards the steering wheel and whistled, and looked to Elizabeth on my side- and then looked to Kurt in the rearview mirror- they had both fallen asleep. I turned the music down and while I drove towards our street started thinking back to mine and Elizabeth's first date.

We had been to the cinema. I had discretely put my arm around Elizabeth's shoulders and right there right then- just as the couple on the screen stood in the middle of the pouring rain and kissed, I kissed my Elizabeth for the very first time. I had been so happy- like if I knew this was all right, and then when we were walking back to my car suddenly it was all changed, when a stranger came, grabbed Elizabeth tightly by the arm and pulled a gun.

"If you just do what I tell you now, there won't be any harm." He'd told my Elizabeth and tried to pull her along. But before he could I had stepped in between and emptied my pockets. Given him my wallet with my money and cards, the watch that my grandpa gave me for my sixteenth birthday and the key to my car while I pointed to the car that was mine. At the same time that I begged him not to take Elizabeth- not to take "the girl."

The stranger had hesitated, then taken all my things and drove away with my car. I and Elizabeth had to walk home in the pouring rain, Elizabeth was wearing heels so after some while I lifted her up and carried her the rest of the way. I had barely been able to move my arms by the time we were home- soaking wet and shaken but unharmed. And from that night on- when we came home to our worried parents at three in the morning- I knew I'd love Elizabeth with all that I had.

When we came home that day, I managed to wake up Kurt enough to tell him to hang on my back, while I lifted up Elizabeth in my arms again and put them both to bed- both of them in mine and Elizabeth's bed and pulled the covers over the both of them while Elizabeth rolled over and put her arm over Kurt in her sleep.

Two days later it was time for the next round of chemotherapy, this would go on for four days. I and Elizabeth talked and decided to let Kurt be home this time- we'd let him be at Mercedes' or Andy's while I and Elizabeth were at the hospital but he'd come home with us during the afternoon and night.

Of course we asked Kurt several times if he really wanted to be home while mummy was ill. Kurt nodded, I still wasn't sure about it- I didn't think it would be good for Kurt to see his mum that ill, yet I think he needed to spend as much time with his mum as possible. Just in case this wouldn't end as we wanted it to.

We talked a lot with Kurt of what would happen in the afternoons when we came home. We told him mummy wouldn't be able to play with him because she was so tired, that she'd throw up, that I would need to take care of her and therefore Kurt would have to entertain himself very much in the next few days. Kurt jus said that he understood- he sure was a great and wise little man.

So then the Monday came, I drove Kurt to Mercedes' and then went to the hospital with Elizabeth- held her as the doctor put the IV in, stroke her back and gave the comfort I could. I looked helplessly to the doctor while he put the IV in and Elizabeth whimpered and screamed into my shoulder.

"Is there really no other way to do it?" I asked when the needle had been put in. The doctor pulled out a chair that he sat down on while I was rocking my Elizabeth back and forth- tears still rolling down her cheeks. He sighed and started talking about some different things that could be put into one of Elizabeth's blood vessels and be also outside the body- so then they could give the shots through that so they wouldn't have to sting her every time. He let us look at the different options- Elizabeth and I both thought that the best was something called a picc-line. Where this little… thing was operated into the over- arm with local anesthesia and they would be able to give her shots and chemotherapy through that- that operation was going to be done by Wednesday though- so she'd have to get some more shots and needles before it was time.

The earlier time Elizabeth hadn't started throwing up until we were home in the afternoon. This time the meds were stronger, and already by the middle of the dose Elizabeth started feeling nauseas. We were watching a musical, I asked her if she wanted me to turn it off but she just shook her head- maybe it was good that she'd have something else to think about, I grabbed a basin and held it in front of her just in case.

It turned out I had done right- just as the doctor came in- maybe five minutes later. Elizabeth shot up, grabbed the basin and threw up. "Whoa." I exclaimed and stroke her back just as she threw up again. "It's okay love," Elizabeth moaned, and then started dry heaving. I looked desperately to the doctor. He walked out the room and came back with some fluid that he put in a needle and then took the IV bag and put the needle in.

"That should help towards the nausea. But it might take a few minutes before it starts working." Another dry heave wrenched Elizabeth's body. "Try to drink or eat something. It's very important that you don't get dehydrated and then you won't have to dry heave as much yeah?" Elizabeth shook her head- I could see on her that it meant that she didn't want anything.

"Boo" she whimpered. When Elizabeth called me Boo she had got me wrapped around her finger- not that she hadn't got me wrapped around her finger if she didn't but she had got me even more wrapped around her finger when she called me that. And my heart broke when she- pale as a ghost looked up at me with tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Make it stop." She whimpered. "Please make it stop." Her voice broke, I pulled her close to me and held the basin under her chin. I didn't know what to say so I just kissed her clammy forehead and stroke her back. The medicine Dr. Lautner had given had seemed to help so Elizabeth just laid there, her cheek against my shirt and tears in her eyes. I stroke her arm and breathed in her hair- doing my very best to give my comfort.

The whole ride home- even when we picked up Kurt, Elizabeth just sat there and looked out the window. I carried her inside and into our bedroom, Kurt went to his room with some old numbers of fashion- magazines and didn't make a sound. I wanted to make Elizabeth eat something so I told Kurt to keep an eye on his mum and call me directly if something happened while I ran to the grocery store around the corner and bought ice cream. It wasn't the most healthy thing but- it was Elizabeth's favorite- it might be easier for her to eat when she wouldn't have to chew it and- it was better than nothing.

But I was scared half to death when I came indoors again and heard a high- pitched scream from the bedroom. I let go of the bag and ran upstairs- Kurt was right after me and I ran into the room to find Elizabeth sitting up, breathing heavily with tresses of her hair in her hands that she held in front of her- and on the pillow.

Elizabeth whimpered and while breathing more and more heavily she pulled off more and more hair that fell off in big tresses. "Hey." I said. "Hey, hey, hey, stop." I took stern grips around Elizabeth's wrists to make her stop. She was crying hysterically and looked to me.

"No… no let me do it… I'd rather do it all at once than have everything fall of in a cap or wake up with loads of hair on my pillow." I hesitated-but it was her choice so what could I do? I asked her if she wanted me to use the shaver to shave it all off at once but she just shook her head to answer me no. She had stopped hyperventilating and only cried silently as she sat with her legs crossed on her bed and pulled her hair off in big tresses, throwing it in the bin by her bed.

Kurt wanted to give his comfort so he sat there and stroke away tears from her cheeks every once in a while and with his hand on her knee. I had put the ice cream in the freezer- making her eat now just didn't seem right.

It took Elizabeth almost two and a half hours, but at least she'd pulled the very last of her beautiful chestnut tresses. Kurt had fallen asleep by the foot of the bed and I sat down with her. She sat leaning against me like that with tears silently dripping down on my shirt for a long while before she fell asleep. I sat like that for another hour or two before my eyelids just fell closed and I drifted off.

I woke up with a sharp intake of breath, and the first thing I knew was that Elizabeth and Kurt weren't there anymore. Then I heard Elizabeth throw up again and I quickly jumped out of bed and rushed out of the room and down the hall. But just as I put my hand on the door handle I heard Kurt's voice with his mum's heaving.

"It's okay mummy. You'll feel better soon." I quietly opened the door and saw Kurt sitting on his knees by his mum's side while she was leaning over the toilet bowl and was dry heaving yet again. We had gotten some anti- nausea meds from the doctor so I walked back to the bedroom and got one of them and a bottle of water.

"Liz." I kneeled down by the other side then Kurt and held out the bottle of water to let her clean her mouth first. She washed her mouth and spat and then I gave her the pill. She took it and leaned against me- Kurt had already fallen asleep again on the floor, I wanted to get up and carry him to bed but with Elizabeth leaning against me I couldn't stand up without her having to move and I didn't want that.

I and Elizabeth must have fallen asleep at about the same time, and I didn't wake up again until the next morning when I heard the alarm go off in the bedroom. I stood up, stepped over Kurt and walked to turn it off. Then realized it was more than two hours to the time where we'd have to be at the hospital. I walked to wake Kurt and Elizabeth up too and helped Elizabeth to get down to the kitchen.

Elizabeth didn't want to eat so I went with my "Emergency- plan" and got out the ice cream from the freezer. "Come on." I begged her and held the teaspoon with ice cream in front of her. "Please… for me." Elizabeth just turned her head away, when I thought of something we had used to do when Kurt was little and didn't want to eat his vegetables. "Come on… here comes Thomas the chew, chew train. Chew, chew, chew." Elizabeth didn't even smile as she turned her head away from the spoon.

"Please mummy." Kurt's voice was heard. "Eat a little bit… for me." Kurt looked at his mum with his sweetest puppy- eyes- he knew she wouldn't say no to that. Elizabeth sighed, then opened her mouth, and ate what I fed her. She didn't even eat half the bowl with ice cream but it was something- and I couldn't say that Kurt was sad to get to eat the leftovers, even though he helped me to try to make Elizabeth eat a bit more.

Elizabeth stood up and walked into the bathroom to make herself ready for the day, I had just been upstairs to get some own clothes when I heard a whimper from inside the bathroom, I opened the door and found Elizabeth standing by the mirror with her face buried in her hands.

"I'm so ugly." She whimpered, I was blown off and walked over to her, grabbing her wrists and looked into her beautiful eyes- with the perfect mix of brown, green and grey. Just like Kurt's and her father's. I tried convincing her that she was just as beautiful as ever but she didn't listen to me. "No I'm not- I'm bald- and I'm ugly."

"Hey." I said, and laid one of my hands on the top of my own head- bald since long. "I'm bald aren't I? Am I ugly for that?" Elizabeth shook her head- I thought she got my point. "See? So why would you be ugly for being bald?" She hesitated.

"But I am ugly… I'm a woman… people will think I'm ugly without hair." She looked into the mirror with tear- filled eyes. I told her to close her eyes and sit down. Then shouted to Kurt to get one of Elizabeth's scarves that he later helped me to tie around his mum's head to hide the fact that there wasn't any hair. I told Elizabeth to look into the mirror again- and she couldn't help but smile through the tears, she went to sit down in the living room while I got dressed and finished and I was just buttoning my shirt when Kurt came into the room.

"Daddy." He stated- and I knew instantly that he wanted something- and that he wouldn't give in until he had it. "I want you to shave all my hair off." I looked down at him with big eyes. Kurt had his arms crossed over his chest and looked up at me in a way that told me that he wouldn't give in until I had told him yes.

"No Kurt." I shook my head. "Your mum would probably hate me if I let you shave all your hair off." Kurt looked even more sternly to me, he moved his hands to his hips, moved his feet further apart and he almost shouted at me.

"Daddy- I want you to shave all my hair off." I looked down at him. I thought I had made it very clear to Kurt earlier that I did not tolerate that he'd raise his voice at me.

"Don't you raise your voice at me Kurt." I told him and put the toothbrush down at the shelf with a bang. "I will not tolerate that and you know it." I wasn't angry with Kurt- but I raised my voice accidentally and Kurt was afraid. His bottom lip started trembling and tears rose in his eyes, I kneeled down and softened my expression.

"Hey- it's okay. I'm not mad at you." I lifted my hand and stroke away a tear rolling down his cheek. "But I will not shave your hair off." Kurt hang his head. "I'm sorry Kurt- your mum would not be happy if I did."

"But daddy." Kurt moaned. "I want to have no hair like you and mummy. Then people will see we're a family and I can show mum that bald isn't ugly. Please daddy please… pretty… pretty… pleeease." He stuck his bottom lip out and laid his hand to the side while giving me his best puppy eyes- well- Kurt had me wrapped around his little finger just like Elizabeth with those eyes and he did have a good reason.

"Okay then." I said at last. "You do have a good reason." I lifted him up to sit by the edge of the laundry machine and grabbed the shaver. I had already plugged it in to shave myself, before I started shaving Kurt's head I asked him one last time if he really wanted to do this. He nodded and then I shaved his hair off. Afterwards I lifted him up so he could see it for himself and was half expecting him to start crying, but he just smiled big and continued to do so while I lifted him down again and he ran out to his mum in the living room.

"Look mummy. Now I'm bald too so people will see that we're a family, and you can see that bald isn't ugly."Elizabeth looked with big eyes to Kurt and then to me when I came after. "So daddy shaved my hair of bec…"

"Go to your room Kurt." Elizabeth interrupted- without any feeling. Kurt looked devastated but didn't move. "Kurt Elizabeth Hummel- go to your room… now." Kurt knew his mum was serious when she used his full name, his lip started trembling when he turned around and ran towards the basement.

"He wanted to do it." I sat down on the arm support next to Elizabeth. "He had to talk me into doing it. He wanted to make you happy." Elizabeth looked to me.

"I hate you."

"I know."

"I can't believe you shaved all his hair off."

"I know."

"Let's get a time at a photographer's."

"Whatever you want honey… but then you need to go and tell Kurt you're not mad at him." I walked to get my phone and call up Andy- who was a photographer. He laughed good when he heard and promised he had a special price for bald families.

That Sunday I, Elizabeth and Kurt went to Andy's studio and got the pictures taken. It was the greatest time in such a long time, the first thing Andy did when we came there was that he held up a T- shirt for Elizabeth to wear. With the text "kicking cancer's butt" Elizabeth usually wasn't much for T- shirts but she happily pulled it on and posed with it on, along with me and Kurt and both with and without different scarves pulled around her head.

Years after this I still had one of the photos standing in my bookshelf. I held Kurt with his feet higher than his head. I looked to Elizabeth who had her palms at Kurt's head and Elizabeth was looking to me. We were all laughing- and it would be a photo to make me happy in so many years after it was shot.

On a Tuesday in the middle of April I and Elizabeth sat in Dr. Lautner's office- Ian Lautner himself and a surgeon with "C. Christoph" reading over his tag sat by the other side of the table, there were two chairs for us yet Elizabeth chose to sit on my knee. Dr. Lautner looked seriously to us- that was enough to know that he wasn't going to give us any good news. Some all- day talk were sent back and forth across the room before Dr. Lautner leaned towards his desk and looked to us.

"You guys know that already by the first biopsi we made we knew that the cancer was aggressive. And that we tried with chemotherapy to see if we could shrink the tumors before we'd have to go with surgery. Now our second test results have come back and it shows what we were afraid off might happen- the tumors haven't been shrinking. In fact they have been growing." He spoke his medical language for a while, I felt Elizabeth shake towards my lap and I had my arms wrapped around her to give as much comfort as possible. And at last it came. "And… we're now at a point where the only thing we can do is to… remove your breasts- both of them." Elizabeth bit her lip to show herself strong.

"When?" She asked weakly- and then another answer we were dreading- as soon as possible- Dr. Christoph here can do it some time next week. Elizabeth shook even more, while I stroke her arms to give my comfort.

Wednesday one week later Elizabeth was on her way into the OR, Kurt was at my mum's for the day. Elizabeth was crying. "Hey." I said and stroke away a tear. "It's okay." Elizabeth shook her head and looked to me.

"Will you still love me?" She asked with her voice breaking. The question knocked me off, of course I would. How would she even be able to give that a doubt. I stroke her hair and told her that I'd still love her no matter what. And then she was pushed into the OR. I sat down in a chair in the hallway and started riffling in a car- magazine to keep myself entertained.

Dr. Christoph came back and with a serious expression and sat down next to me. Seriously he started telling me how the cancer had spread more than what they had expected so they had to remove more than what they were first planning. Then he took a deep breath again.

"It may have spread to other parts of the body- we've taken some tests to know if it has- if it has- I'm afraid there's nothing more we can do at this point." It hit me like a blow right in my face. Nothing more- would my Elizabeth… I couldn't even think the word- but that couldn't happen! I couldn't live without Elizabeth- Kurt couldn't live without Elizabeth.

The whole world seemed to be spinning, everything went black and the next thing I knew I opened my eyes and laid across some chairs in the hallway. While a nurse was dabbing my forehead and holding a small plastic cup of water towards me. I told Dr. Christoph I wanted to tell Elizabeth myself, and when she woke up I sat down by the edge of her bed and told her what he had told me.

Until know Elizabeth would have tried to keep strong while we were still in the hospital, but now she couldn't bear anymore. She bursted out crying hysterically and when I held her close she started screaming at the top of her lungs. A doctor came in and gave her some sedatives through the picc- line. I continued holding her in my arms as she cried silently, but this was harder for me to deal with than when she had been crying hysterically and screaming.

After a few hours Mildred arrived, I told her- and then went to my mum's to pick up Kurt. I didn't want to tell him until we were sure about that the cancer had spread but when I came to my mum's I went into my old room for a moment, sunk down to the floor and before I knew it I was crying hysterically.

My mum came in, Kurt was in the living room. She pulled me up into her arms and held me close to her chest. Like a little boy I gripped hard around the fabric in mum's shirt while she stroke my back and hushed gently. I didn't know for how long it lasted but I knew that when I woke up- mum was still holding me in her arms.

Three weeks later we got the news about the tests they had drawn by the surgery. Dr. Lautner and Dr. Christoph were sitting by the other side and calmly and slowly told us that the tests had come back to prove that Elizabeth had malign tumors in- not just her chest. But also her brain, her livver, her lungs and her kidneys.

Elizabeth just sat there, there was no energy left for her to use at panicking again. She was worn off just by the latest months. Dr. Lautner looked to us again. "We have come to a point where there's not much left for us to do. If we do chemo then it might give you a few extra months- but even if we do ever so much chemotherapy- There is a very small chance you'll live for another year."

"And if I don't choose to do chemo- how far have I got?" Elizabeth asked weakly, Dr. Lautner hesitated. Before telling, three maybe four months. Elizabeth looked to me. "I don't want anymore chemo Boo… I just want to live the time I've got left with making the most out of each minute and soend as much time as possible with you and Kurt… please don't make me do anymoe chemo."

Maybe I should have wanted for Elizabeth to have chemo- to give her as much as seven or eight months, but I didn't. I didn't want my Elizabeth to go through it all again. I'd rather want her to have three good months than to let her have eight months were she spent most time in hospital, throwing up or sleeping.

So we spent the rest of April, May, June and half of July with making the most out of each minute, we travelled to Lofoten islands in Norway and watched the midnight sun in a place that Elizabeth had always wanted to see- we travelled to China and walked on the great wall- we travelled back home and just hung around with watching our favorite movies.

But by the end of July it was clear that Elizabeth was becoming really sick, she didn't make it out of bed most days. Threw up a lot and slept even more. We didn't want this to be Kurt's last memorites of his mum so he'd spend a lot of time at my mum's, Mercedes', Andy's or Debbie and Michael's. His favorite place was Debbie and Michael's since when Anna had showed him- him and no one else her very first smile.

August the third- at six in the morning I woke up from hearing Elizabeth wheezing, I got a cool, wet cloth and started dabbing her fever- warm forehead when she made a gurling sound. I quickly helped her to sit up so she wouldn't get choked by vomit and held the bucket under her chin. Blood! The dark red fluid scattered down in the bucket. I panicked and quickly lifted Elizabeth up. There was no time to wait for an ambulance I thought as I took my car- keys- and us both in just PJ:s I carried her out to the car and hit the gas harder than ever before.

"HELP." I shouted, I had gone straight up to the oncologist- god knows why. "SOMEBODY HELP ME." Dr. Lautner stood in the reception, he lifted Elizabeth out on a stetched and pulled her to lay on her side when she trew up more blood. I was left in the hallway, where I first walked back and forth and then hit my knees and clasped my hands together and lifted them towards the ceiling.

"Please- d- dear God." I started. "T- take the heart from my chest. Take away every breath you gave me. If you just let me take her place then I swear I'll never ask for anything again. Please God take me instead- don't take away what's most important to my Kurt. Please- please take me. Please don't take my Elizabeth. Please don't take her- please don't take "The girl"" But right in that moment Dr. Lautner came walking out.

"There isn't anything else we can do I'm afraid. She's got a very severe pnemonia and it's caused everything to simply… crash." He helped me to stand up. "She's in a coma now. And when we turn our machines off she'll stop breathing." I nodded. "I think the best thing you can do right now is walk in there and speak to her. Let her know that you're there." I nodded. "Just let us know if you need anything. If you want we can give you some mild sedatives to take with you home." I shook my head then pulled the door to Elizabeth's room open while Dr. Lautner clapped my shoulder.

I walked into the room where Elizabeth looked so small and so fragile in the bed. The last few months she had gone to be only a shadow of her earlier self- she'd gone from a healthy woman to only skin and bones. Her hair hadn't been growing out again and I stroke over the bald head and sat down by the bed while my free hand took hers.

"Hey Liz." I said- my voice almost breaking. "I want you to know that I love you now just as much as ever. I want you to know that Kurt does too- and we love you over anything else in the whole wide world and that is never going to change." I took a deep breath while Dr. Lautner came in and started turning the machines off when I gave him a nod. "I want you to know that it will be alright- I will take care of Kurt- even when he chooses to come out and tell me who he is I am going to love him with all of my heart. And I want you to know that we'll be alright." I couldn't believe what I was saying. "I love you… now, before and for always." I bent forward and placed a kiss on Elizabeth's forehead just as the respirator beeped without silent.

"Time of death, seven o three." Dr. Lautner exclaimed after making his tests- and I could have swore his voice was breaking. I continued stroking Elizabeth's head for almost an hour- I couldn't leave, I couldn't cry. I wanted to cry, scream, throw myself on the ground and scream like a baby.

But I couldn't, I just kept silent and wished that I could, while I stroke Elizabeth's hand with my thumb. I couldn't leave, not just yet. Because I loved her too much. I couldn't let go- not yet.

Because I love you Elizabeth

I love you

**Ow… right in the heart. A malign tumor is a tumor with cancer and cyastotic is the same thing as chemo. But just so you know- I didn't have any internet and therefore no google translate while writingg this. **

**By far longest chapter I've written, at over 9000 words. **

**Pst, the aftermath of this can be read in my one- shot "daddy." **

**English is not my first language **


	6. Family

**KlaineForeverLover07: **Yeah that totally makes you torn. It's so sad that Elizabeth had to die but if she hadn't there wouldn't have been Barole. Thank you and I'm trying. Well… as I told you in a message… where I come from we say "the taste is like the butt- split" And that definitely does sound better in Swedish but I think you get it.

**Gleekforever12345: **I haven't either read too much fics about Kurt's mum. There's been a few but not many. Yeah I thought it was sad too… I hope you liked it anyway

**Lilangel1: **Thank you… yes it was. I'm glad you thought that- because I guess moving is good. And you'll get to read more once I get home today and can upload the chapter

**Precious- passenger: **Awww. I knew it was sad but that sad… I'm sorry to hear… "Hugs" sadly, Cancer is something that hits almost every family sooner or later- mine too. Thank you. And yeah, I loved that scene- it was a way of getting some… happiness… easier stuff into a otherwise very sad and rough chapter and I'm so glad I had that idea.

**F is for Family**

I yawned, I had come home from my first week at Dalton and I was so tired I swore I could fall asleep standing up from all the new impressions the last few days. Most of all I just wanted to go lay down and sleep somewhere, but I, Finn, dad and Carole were moving into a new house and of course I had to help.

Dad and Carole had driven away to our old houses again, got some of the things from there to take them here. Because the distances were so short we had decided not to hire some moving- company- however- my dad had taken a truck from his station and was driving back and forth with it to get with the big stuff.

I was currently walking around trying to find the blue carton- I knew I had put it here somewhere and it held the plates that I was going to put in the kitchen cupboards. "FINN" I shouted at last. "Have you seen the blue box with plates?" I started taking another box filled with glasses and cups. Just as I heard from Finn that he'd carried it upstairs and then footsteps coming down the stairs just as the front door open.

I had just dropped a cup that fell to the floor and broke into three pieces, so I kneeled down to pick them up-and just as I carefully picked the biggest- and the sharpest piece up, a shout was heard from the stairs, then several bangs. "Ah" I exclaimed and dropped the piece when I jumped- and the sharp end made a deep cut across my palm.

The shout was followed by two loud bangs. But I barely heard them when the sight of the blood made my head spin and on top of it all pain shot through my hand all the way up to my elbow. Blood dripped from my hand and down to the floor and I looked away, took support a with my free hand towards the drawers and fought not to pass out.

But just as I tried my best taking deep breaths not to pass out or throw up the kitchen door open. I opened my eyes and stretched out my unharmed hand and pretended to pick up the pieces just as dad came through the door. The freezer and the fridge was about the first we had moved and dad opened the freezer and got out a bag of frozen peas.

"Finn stumbled in the stairs- he sprained his ankle but he's going to be fine and he didn't drop anything." Dad smiled at me and then turned around and left the kitchen. But I had let go for just a little bit too long. I felt my eyes roll as everything went black and I fell to the floor.

**Carole POV **

"No Burt- " I said when Burt was beginning to put the bag of frozen peas towards Finn's ankle. "You need to wrap in something, or else he's going to have freeze burns. Hold on I'll go get a towel." I stood up and walked over the floor and through the hallway to the kitchen where I pushed the door open.

The first I noticed was how quiet it was- that was weird because just a minute ago Kurt had been in here. I walked in and looked around- and then spotted the body of the slender teenager on the floor. I forgot everything about the towel I was getting and rushed over to him.

"BURT" I shouted. "Can you come in here for a moment?" I brushed away Kurt's brown tresses from his forehead and felt it with my palm- he wasn't unusually warm. I felt for his pulse and breathing but it all seemed normal as Burt came into the room and kneeled in front of his son- and saw something I hadn't.

"He's bleeding." Burt pointed, and just as he pointed I saw a cut in Kurt's palm. I carefully lifted Kurt's hand into mine and used the other hand to stretch out Kurt's fingers so I could take a look at the cut. It was right across the palm, but I couldn't see much because it was bleeding so much. I heard a- sound I did not recognize from my husband and when I looked up I saw him- pale as a ghost, doing his best to look away from his son's hand.

"Burt" I began- because I understood that if Burt stayed in here- I'd have to deal with two unconscious Hummel's instead of one. "Go out in the hallway, sit down and take deep breaths until everything's stopped spinning- then go out to my car- there's a first aid kit in the back of it- you know where it is." Burt nodded- and walked on unsteady legs out of the kitchen while I tried to wake up Kurt.

"Kurt?" I rubbed his head. "Sweetie. Can you hear me?" Kurt moaned and turned his head, then his eyes fluttered open and he looked to me. "Do you remember what happened sweetie?" I asked him, he nodded barely noticeable, and started sitting up. I held a hand on each of his shoulderblades to be ready to catch if he fell again.

"I dropped a cup and I was picking the pieces up when Finn shouted- then I slipped and it cut my hand." Kurt looked to his hand and swayed as if he was fainting again. I told him to lay down again and look away, which he did just as Burt came back with the first aid kit from my car. Then I told him to go help Finn while I handled this.

"Ow, ow" Kurt whimpered while I pressed the compress to his palm. I lifted one of my hands and stroke his hair to calm him down while I talked in a comforting tone hoping that it would help the teenager to calm down. It helped and after a few minutes I lifted the compress and checked the wound. There was no doubt.

"Kurt. We need to go to the hospital, this needs stitches." Kurt moaned. "Do you want me or your dad to come with you?" Kurt shrugged, pushed himself up into sitting position and leaned against the kitchen bench.

"I'd suggest Carole" I looked to the other end of the kitchen when Burt's voice was heard. "You know I love you scooter and I'd take you to the hospital. But you know my thing with blood." Kurt nodded, and took support against me to stand up. I grabbed a bandage from the first aid kit and wrapped it around Kurt's hand and then took a scarf to make it into a sling.

"That will do until we get to the hospital" I said. "You need to keep that high. Now come on honey." I gently pushed Kurt so he'd move forward, told Burt and Finn that we were going to the hospital. Finn moaned about his foot and wondered if he was going too but- I told him he would be fine with Burt, then helped Kurt to pull on a jacket at the same time as I ran around trying to find my own jacket, car- keys, wallet and then around for five minutes trying to find my cellphone until I realized it was in my pocket.

At last I found myself by the steering wheel next to Kurt in the passenger seat and started driving. I didn't want to waste any more time so I called into the reception and asked Alexey- the receptionist to check with the staff if there was anyone who could take it as soon as we came in. It had already bled through the bandage I put so I hit the gas and sped faster towards the ER.

"Hey C." Alexey Nicholson greeted me as I came in with Kurt- I could never make him use my name. "Trenton's in curtain two setting up everything." I led Kurt towards the curtain where Dr. Anthony Trenton sat with his thick glasses pressed down on the lower bridge of his nose and a bottle with local anesthesia that he dropped down in a syringe.

Kurt- if possible- turned even paler when he saw the syringe. I gently pushed him to sit down on the bunch before he had fallen again, and sat down on the stool on the opposite side from Dr. Trenton- asking him if he shouldn't have waited with doing that until he's checked the wound himself and is fully sure that it need stitches.

"I trust your opinion and vision Carole." He mumbled. "One thing first Mr. Hummel, can you clench your hand… Just hold on a sec. Carole can you find a scissor?" I leaned down and found a scissor in a drawer that Dr. Trenton used to cut up and remove the bandage. "Yeah… can you clench your hand and move your wrist and your arm good… yeah that's good. There's no damage on any sinew. So… yep this needs stitches. I'll put some local anesthesia and then put maybe… ten to fifteen stitches."

"It's okay." I took Kurt's free hand in mine when he bit his jaws together and turned even paler. "I'm here… it'll be over soon." I had been through this quite a lot of times with Finn- not to mention Christopher- and thousands of patients- so I knew what there was I could do- and what there was that wouldn't help so I just held my fingers wrapped around Kurt's.

Kurt was one of those that would never really admit he was in pain- well- until he had a syringe with a needle a bit too close because as soon as Dr. Trenton had put the needle to Kurt's hand I felt his grip around my hand tighten. I brainstormed for something to talk to him about to get his mind of the needle that Trenton was just fixing.

"So how do you like it at Dalton?" I asked at last. Kurt sighed, something that seem to come from centuries of heartbreaks and sorrows. Dr. Trenton was humming on some song I couldn't recognize- the same he always hummed on when he would give shots or draw blood. Kurt looked to him, then to the needle, then to me and shrugged.

"It's okay I guess. It's not McKinley… and maybe that's for the best and… and for the worst." Kurt flinched and whimpered as Dr. Trenton poked the needle into his hand, I stroke Kurt's other hand and asked him to continue. "I mean… it's great to be away from Karofsky and… and them but… but all my friends are at McKinley." Kurt sighed, and I could spot there was something he wanted to say but didn't quite know how- or didn't quite know if he could.

"Carole?" He exclaimed at last. "Can I ask you something?" I answered him that of course he could, he sighed again and looked down. "I… Dalton is great. The warblers are too only… the warblers they're like…. Super popular you know… that's great but… The warblers is a glee club and… New Directions is a family." Kurt sighed yet another time. "Is it weird of me to miss McKinley- when… well, you know?"

I bit my lip and slowly shook my head. Answered him no- but didn't know what more to say. "There is another thing." Kurt cleared his throat then nodded towards Dr. Trenton. "But maybe we could take that later." I nodded. At this point- Dr. Trenton was about half way done with stitching up the wound- and I told Kurt to talk about what interested him the most- fashion- to keep his mind of his hand.

I had to admit- it was pretty interesting to listen to Kurt when he was talking about the latest trends- I could see it made him happy with how he gesticulated with his free hand and how his eyes lit up when he did. Dr. Trenton- still humming finished stitching up the wound and put a bandage on, and then Kurt silent.

Kurt kept silent during the time we got in the car and I started driving again. I asked him if we wanted to talk about what was bothering him now- or later when we came home. He shrugged at first but then mumbled "now" so I drove onto the side and stopped the car. Kurt didn't say anything at first and just sat and looked down and fingered with the bandage around his hand.

"It's not that I don't… that I don't like… you or Finn. It's just that…" I was starting to guess what this was about- and I had known that this would be brought up sooner or later. "It's just that… when we're moving in and you two are married and everything it… it kinda makes me feel like he's… like he's forgetting about…" Kurt silent again, and when he didn't continue I finished the sentence for him.

"Your mum?!" Kurt nodded without looking up. "Listen Kurt. I know it's… weird, and it feels like with moving in with me and Finn and marrying me and everything Burt is forgetting about Elizabeth. But… he'd never do that. And I could never replace her- not for you- and not for your dad. And moving on does not mean… forgetting… it does not mean leaving behind and head forward. It just simply means to allow oneself to feel good about both the memories and the present."

The car fell silent again and after a few minutes I started driving again and stopped outside the store to get some food home. Kurt disappeared and that didn't really bother me until I was done and couldn't find him anywhere. I walked between the shelves and around them trying to find him and at last I found him by some shelves with toys and other kids' stuff. He stood with hands behind his back and looked down at a framed picture I couldn't see. I could have just called for him but something told me that I should walk up and see what he was looking at.

"Ohana means family" I read out loud from the framed quote with a picture from Lilo and Stitch. "Family means no one gets left behind, or forgotten." I smiled. "You want it?" Kurt shrugged. "We could buy it and hang it in the living room or somewhere and… as a reminder not to forget either about each other or Elizabeth or Christopher…. You want to know a secret?" I leaned forward and almost whispered to him. "I love that movie- I must have watched it a thousand times during days when Finn was at football camp or wherever. And I cried every single time." Kurt smiled.

"I cry every time watching it too. But you know that dad will be furious if we bring home frames like that… he hates it." I knew that- but whatever- let him be furious then- and that was what I told Kurt before he grabbed the upper part of the frame and we walked to pay for everything.

"Do you know why dad have got problems with seeing blood?" Kurt suddenly asked when we sat in the car. I shook my head- it hadn't really crossed my mind there would be a special reason. "Because the day my… the day my mum died she…." It seemed like Kurt had gone through a million times how he would say this- but he still couldn't really do it. I reached out my hand and took Kurt's in mine- trying to give him the comfort I could without pushing him to do anything.

"She started throwing up blood, and that was when dad took her to the hospital and then she… well, you know. And dad can't see blood without getting flashbacks…. Sorry, I don't know why I told you that."

I didn't know what to say- I wanted to say something and brainstormed for just about anything but I couldn't think of anything at all. What was there to say? I squeezed Kurt's hand in mine and then removed it to steer with both hands. "I was at my grandma's and she… she said we were going home so we did go to our house and… then dad came home and… told me… not everything then, I have more or less forced him to tell more details as I've gotten older- I don't know why it just felt like- like I wanted to know… I don't know… sorry." I told him there was nothing to be sorry for- just like anyone would have at this point.

Something made me realize that with Kurt telling me this- made me closer to him than what I'd ever been to any person. Kurt wasn't one to talk about his problems- and it was clear that talking about his mum was tough and he had to give his all just to keep going. "I can't replace your mum Kurt." I said at last. "And it's not what I'm after to do either."

"I don't expect you to either." Kurt looked out the window. "In fact I don't want you to- of course I don't want you to. But… maybe you could be something, just as good as she was- only in another way." I had to smile at the way Kurt expressed himself. "There is one thing I've been thinking about… I can't call you mum… but stepmum sounds… weird! So what is there then?"

"Why don't do like everybody else and call me Carole?" Kurt shook his head slightly.

"You mean too much!" Kurt said- just barely as loud as I could hear it. I smiled and was meaning to say something when he interrupted. "Isn't there some name that means mother or something? What does Carole mean?" I glared at him, I had never liked the meaning of my name- the name I had just learned to live with- the meaning only made people confused- and tell them it had from the beginning been a boys' name. When Kurt looked confused I smirked to let him know I was joking.

"It means free man." Kurt raised an eyebrow at me. "So before you ask- yes it was from the beginning a boys' name. But your middle name is Elizabeth so you don't really have much to say in this matter." I smirked again so he'd understand I was joking again. "Hmm… I don't know any name that means mother… but there is a Scandinavian name that means woman of the house- and living with three men I think I could use such a name."

"What name is it?" Kurt asked.

"Solveig" I answered. "Some Norwegian name- it does mean sunroad in Norwegian as well. Sorry… just talking now." Kurt waved of my apology. "But please Kurt- just call me Carole. I don't think I could get used to yet another name- I've barely gotten used to Hudson instead of Kyemohr- and now I have to get used to Hummel as well- I think that's enough."

"Okay free man." I had a pair of gloves laying in between the seats- now I took them and hit Kurt over the head with them. "Ow… fragile material." I took the gloves and hit him again- the next second I hit the brakes and steered to the left not to hit another car. "WHOA" Kurt shouted before I had regained control over the car and drove onto the side. After shouting some unmentionable terms after the other driver.

"Are you okay?" I looked to Kurt who laid leaned forward- shaking of god knows what. "Kurt are you alright?" The teenager snorted with laughter when he couldn't keep quiet anymore. "What?" Kurt couldn't answer me- that's how much he was laughing as he leaned against the window and shook with laughter.

"I" he laughed after some while. "I… I think you can compete with my mum with temper while driving." He broke down laughing again- And I couldn't help but laugh with him- now when my pulse had finally gone down to normal again. "But I'm not so sure that's a good thing." Kurt whimpered trying to catch some air. I shook my head at him.

"I would… appreciate if you didn't tell your dad about that. If you do then maybe he won't let me drive you… ever… again." Kurt snorted with laughter- just after finishing the last attack. And I chose not to speak anymore before Kurt had stopped laughing, and when he did- suddenly I remembered that maybe- we should head home.

"Come on now." I steered onto the road again. "If family's means not forgetting about one another then I don't think I've been that great of a family the last minutes- there are two parts of the family waiting for their dinner at home." I silent and was half expecting Kurt to do the same when he spoke up again.

"I gotta say we're a pretty great family- happy, great… but totally dysfunctional and whoever is normal it's not us."

**So, that seems like an okay ending. I think this chapter is one tiny bit OOC- I don't know why or where but- if it is I'm sorry. And well… some of the things are based on my family. Just some small things though. **

**And oh, Solveig really is a name- it does mean woman of the house- and sunroad in Norwegian- it was my grandmother's name. **

**English is not my first language **


	7. Glee

**Leoni123: **Agreed, poor Kurt.

**Precious- passenger: **Aw, Pst, want to know a secret? I haven't really watched Lilo and Stitch so I have no idea if that part worked- or I have watched it, but I don't remember if it was the whole movie and I don't think I liked it so I wasn't concentrating on it too much. I think you mentioned that a couple of times, yeah, I thought too that the chapter was okay, definitely not the best. But yeah, Carole and Kurt's mother/ son relationship is so adorable, I wish they had put more of that- and Carole- over- all in the series. Hmm… I don't think I could write that chapter with Finn and Burt cause I don't think I could gather enough about that to have a whole chapter, but maybe I could write something else with Finn and Burt. Thanks for the suggestion

**KlaineForeverLover07: **Thank you, I'll try and yeah, poor Kurt.

**GleekForever12345: **Awwww, thank you. Agreed- poor Kurt. Yeah I love that bonding and I wish there had been a lot more scenes both with that and Carole over- all. I know you can't wait. I'm trying to write and update as soon as I can.

**G is for Glee **

So here I was, yet another time, standing in the shadow of Miss Rachel berry- as usual. I sighed and continued trying to make the choreography that Mr. Schue had created for us, step, turn, slide, step, turn. I could feel a headache coming with the pounding behind my eye. But I wasn't going to give up, I would fight through this. If I didn't then I would just blow everything with that I and the others were too getting solos since we came back from the troubletones- I needed to fight through.

I wasn't going to lie, things had gotten loads better since we came back to the New Directions. We were getting loads more solos and Mr. Schue would actually care about what we felt. But it probably would just take that I did a tiny little wrong and we would be back on the point where we were before the troubletones. So I simply ignored that everything had started to spin and the ache behind my eye and went on.

"'Cedes?" Sam almost whispered. "Are you okay?" I nodded, and looked away from him. My boyfriend knew me better than anyone else, I should have known he would see I wasn't feeling that great. He would always worry too much. I swallowed- I was starting to feel a bit nauseous but I fought through that too and then went back to dancing. Step, turn… slide… step. Everything was spinning only worse and worse and then everything went black and before I could grab onto something or sit down I felt myself falling.

"Cedes? Mercedes? Please can you open your eyes for me love?" Sam's voice slowly seemed to come closer and closer to me. "Cedes please. Can you come back?" I started being aware of my impressions, I was laying on something hard, I was half sitting up with someone supporting my back and my head with their arm and shoulder. And there was a hand stroking my cheek and there were voices whispering above me. "Cedes please" I heard Sam's voice again and there was a shakiness in his voice- as if he was worried for me.

I slowly started opening my eyes and looked up. The new directions were worriedly looking down to me. Sam sat on his knees on the floor, his arm supporting my back and my head laying towards his shoulder. I tried saying something but my mouth was too dry, I lifted my hand and touched my lips in a way to try to tell him I wanted water. Sam understood my win and looked up to the others asking if anyone had a water- bottle.

After some while Tina came running with a small plastic cup with water. I lifted my hand to take it, but my hand was shaking so much I couldn't hold it. "Hey." Sam said softly and took the cup. "Here" he held the cool, white plastic against my lips and tipped the cup. So I got to drink. Afterwards I took support against Sam and started standing up on shaky legs.

"I'm alright." I mumbled even though I felt worse than ever. "Shall we go on?"

"Mercedes" Mr. Schue interrupted. "You should probably go home. Get some rest." I started protesting. "If it's that solo then I promise I will make sure no one else will get it. You just go home and rest and then come back when you feel better okay?" I opened my mouth to say some protests- but closed it again- they were right. And I really didn't feel well.

Sam helped me to stand up and let me lean against his shoulder while walking out of the audiotourium and through McKinley's hallways towards our lockers and then towards the parking lot- Finn had lent Sam his car so we wouldn't have to take the bus, and he helped me into the passenger seat and then got into the driver's seat himself and started driving towards my street,

"You know- Cedes." He said after some while. "I could drive back to the Hudmel's- Carole's a nurse so…" I put my hand on his arm to interrupt. Then shook my head. I just wanted to go home and that was what I told him. Sam still hesitated- maybe Finn's mum could help- but I managed to talk him into going home to mine anyway and he listened at last.

**Sam POV **

I pulled over on the Jones's driveway and got out of the car. Then walked around it and let Mercedes lean against me. I lifted the doormat to find a key I had known since before was there and unlocked the door and helped Mercedes to get over to her bed and then got all the blankets and pillows from the couches in the living room and stumbled back to her room- before I lurched forward- and dropped everything on the floor in Mercedes' room.

"How many of these could a family of three… well four if we count Harvey- need actually?" I looked to the pile with blankets and pillows and then to Mercedes. Mercedes just raised on her elbows and looked to me. I picked up one of the pillows- and pulled my hand towards her to give her it but she just pushed my hand away.

"No Sam… I don't want that… can you please just come and lay by me? Please?" I dropped the pillow and crawled up behind her. I let her lean against my chest, she rested her cheek towards my chest. "I'm so tired." She mumbled, I lifted my hand and started brushing my fingers through her hair- over and over again.

After just a few minutes I could hear Mercedes' breaths getting heavier and calmer as she fell asleep. I carefully pulled up my phone from my pocket so it wouldn't be hard towards Mercedes' back and then leaned backwards towards the wall. "Sammy" Mercedes woke up half and mumbled to me. "Mum and dad are at Harvey's 'til tonight. You won't leave me until they come home will you?" I smiled slightly. I knew Mercedes' older brother lived about an hour's driving from here so if I knew them right it would probably be quite late until they came home- but of course I couldn't leave Mercedes.

"No of course I won't leave you." I made myself more comfortable now when Mercedes wasn't fully asleep yet. She rested her head onto my shoulder and then fell asleep again. And damn wasn't the sound of her calm, deep breaths so… so... drowsy… I had my arm wrapped around Mercedes' shoulders when I drifted off.

"RING" A loud ringing noise was slowly starting to wake me up. God- someone turn the freaking alarm off. "RING" The musical ringing noise echoed between the walls in Mercedes' room- hold on- Mercedes' room. My eyes shot open as I remembered where I was and I quickly reached for my phone and took the call before it would wake Mercedes up.

"Mhm. Sam!" I answered drowsily and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. "How can I help you?"

"Hey it's Carole." I looked to my watch- yep, Finn and Kurt should be home by now. And that would mean they had told her… oh I should have guessed she'd call. "Sam? Are you still there?" I cleared my throat, loosened myself carefully from Mercedes and tip- toed out of the room so I wouldn't wake Mercedes up while I answered her.

"Sorry I woke you up." She said when I told her why I would answer her slowly. "Is Mercedes sleeping now?" I sat down on a bench in the hallway and leaned towards the wall while answering Carole. "Do you want me to come over? It seems like just a twelve hour bug but I could come over and make sure there's nothing more." I shook my head even though I knew she couldn't see it and answered her no. "Okay honey… Just call me if you wonder about anything okay?" I answered yes, then I heard Mercedes from inside her room.

"Sam?" Her voice sounded weak and I instantly knew something was wrong- very wrong so I quickly said goodbye, hung up and rushed back into Mercedes' room. Mercedes sat up on her bed with her hands clapped over her mouth and a look I directly knew what it meant. I grabbed a trash can from next to the desk and rushed over to my girlfriend to hold it under her chin just as she lurched forward and threw up.

"Okay, you're okay." I let Mercedes hold the trash can by herself and held her hair with one hand and stroke her back with the other. "Sch Cedes. You're okay just relax." After a couple of minutes Mercedes stopped heaving and laid down pressing her clammy cheek towards my T- shirt. I took the trash can, and despite how much it hurt me walked out of the room and the house. Put the trash bag on the porch steps outside and put a new bag in the can. Then I got two buckets- one in case she'd be sick again and one with water and a towel over my shoulder and walked back into Mercedes' room.

"C'm'ere." I said and sat down to let her lean against me again. I placed the bucket with water on my legs, pulled the towel around my hand and dipped it in the water. To later start wiping of Mercedes' clammy face with it. "You still feel nauseous?" Cedes shook her head weakly. "That's good… that's good." I said, more to have something to say than anything else and put the towel down left hanging on the edge of the bucket. "Do you have a thermometer somewhere?" She nodded and mumbled something about to the right in the bathroom cupboard over the sink.

I slowly walked out of the room and spilled out the water in the bathroom sink while I pulled down a bunch of stuff from the shelves in the search for a thermometer. At last I found it- to the left in the cupboard despite how Mercedes had told me it was on the right, but I didn't spend any time thinking more about that as I put everything back and then walked back to Mercedes room with the thermometer in my hand.

"Open up." I pulled off the lock of the white item and turned it on. Mercedes' chin dropped and I placed it under her tongue and waiter to have it read 101.1 "It's actually not that high." I said- more to calm myself down than for anything else. "Carole was probably right with that this is just some twelve- hours- thing."

"Ugh" Mercedes moaned. "Twelve hours. Feels like forever." I pulled her close and let her lean against me again and asked her if she wanted to watch a movie or something. She looked up at me with her best puppy eyes and I knew what was coming. "Finding Nemo?" Finding Nemo was totally Mercedes' guilty pleasure, I hated the movie, but she loved it and would always have me watching it with her. But I couldn't tell her no now.

"Sure." I lifted the quilt off Cedes and sighed, helping her up. I took the bucket from the floor and let her lean against me walking out from her room and down the hallway to get to the living room. The finding- Nemo- DVD laid on the top of the bureau in the living rooms I helped her lay down and got all the blankets and pillows from Mercedes' room and took them back to the living room. Mercedes laughed at me slightly, it was great to hear her laugh, but I couldn't resist the urge to throw a pillow at her for laughing at me.

I put the movie into the DVD- player and pressed play, but I had barely done that when a rumble was heard from my stomach. "You hungry?" I shrugged- in fact I really was. The clock had started drawing close to six P.M. and I hadn't been eating since lunch. "Sorry Sam… but we haven't got anything. You could check in the kitchen but I was supposed to do the grocery store after glee today. I stood up from the sofa and walked out in the kitchen- and Mercedes was right.

"I'll go to the grocery store and buy something for the both of us." I pulled up Finn's car- keys from my pocket and got out in the car to drive away to the grocery store ten minutes away. Well in the store I realized there probably was some rules for what a person who had just been throwing up shall eat and shall not eat- and I had no idea what so I called up Carole for help and asked her about it. Then I walked around holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder picking up blueberry soup, white bread and coke- as well as a frozen meal I could just heat up in the microwave for myself.

When I came back Mercedes was in the middle of the movie so I got straight into the kitchen and shook the coke bottle to get away the bubbles from it. As well as heated up my pasta and opening my own coke- bottle and well, did everything else that needed to be done. Then I sat down beside Mercedes with everything on a tray.

"Ugh" Mercedes suddenly moaned and dropped the piece of bread she was holding when she wrapped her arms around her stomach. I quickly put my plate down on the coffee table, reached for the bucket and held it under Mercedes' chin and put my palm towards her back and started stroking it.

"It's okay Cedes." I said when she started breathing more heavily. "Deep breaths love. Try to breathe through it." Mercedes didn't throw up anymore, but it was a couple of minutes before the nausea eased and Mercedes leaned against my shoulder, breathing lighter. "It's okay." I put the bucket down by my feet again. The dinner was forgotten. "It's alright." I wrapped my arms around her and held her for what seemed like hours. She rested her head against my chest and drifted off more and more, when she'd fallen asleep I carefully laid her down and put a pillow under her head and wrapped a blanket over her before I finished my own meal and then took the dishes and the trash out in the kitchen and dealt with it.

"Sam?" Mercedes mumbled a couple of hours later when I was watching some bad soap on the TV. "Do you think Mr. Schue will keep his promise?" I couldn't remember what promise so I asked. "The one that we troubletones will get at least one solo each by every competition, and that I will get to keep the solo I had even if I had to go home early today?" The answer was clear to me, yet I had to think a while before I answered.

"Mr. Schue might have been favoring Rachel and Finn. But a promise is a promise. And Mr. Schue wouldn't break a promise even if it so would end up with him getting hurt. So you don't worry about that. If I could swear on my life I would that Mr. Schue will always keep his promises." Cedes smiled slightly and drifted off again. I riffled through the channels at the TV and stopped at a marathon of the modern- family- series that would go on until tomorrow morning.

"Hello." Mrs. Jones's voice echoed through the hallways when the clock had started drawing close to midnight. "Anyone… Sam. What are you still doing here?" I tiredly looked up from the TV and Cam Tucker in a tree to Mr. and Mrs. Jones that stood in the doorway to the living room. I shortly explained- was too tired to give any longer explanation, and then sent away a text message to Finn that I would stay at the Jones's tonight- it was too late to go off home.

_Okay _Finn answered after a while. _We have an early glee- meeting tomorrow so see you tomorrow on glee. _And the last thing I could remember between reading the message and drifting off was a blanket gently being spread over me by Mrs. Jones just like I had done it over Mercedes.

**So well, that's it. Did you like it? Did you not like it? Let me know. **

**I cannot believe I had those chances to bring in Carole in the story and yet I just didn't mind bringing her in. **

**English is not my first language **

**So the G is finished, that means we're through the first line of the Scandinavian alphabet, the first line of the English alphabet is A-E is it? Well in Scandinavia we have three more letters so the first line is A-G. So… see you in the second line of my alphabet. **


	8. Hospital

**Gleekforever12345: **I know Samcedes is adorable! And while writing this chapter H is almost finished!

**KlaineForeverLover07: **I love Samcedes too. But I can think of a few characters that shouldn't be paired up with Sam… Get that picture outta my head! I haven't really seen finding Nemo- or I have- but as I can remember I didn't like it that much- I used to have the computer game though… played it all the time! I will as soon as I can!

**Precious- passenger: **Yeah. Supercute. I loved the idea with Sam asking Carole- so cute! Hrm, haven't really seen it- I don't really like watching movies and liked it even less when finding Nemo was popular. Maybe if I do another Samcedes chapter I will bring that up… though the only Dory- quote I know is "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming"

**Let's say that the parents of the New- Directions members have met a few times… for whatever. Let's just say so. Oh and this chapter is based on a roleplay I had with LocalXmusicXjellybeanX**

**H is for Hospital **

"And drive carefully now Jake. The roads are slippery and we don't want any broken bones or anything… take my car, it's got the better wheels with these roads." Jake Puckerman- the boyfriend of my daughter ran a hand over his hair and took the keys I handed him. Promised me he would bring my daughter to the restaurant and home again safely. Marley scolded me for fussing so but I just smiled, closed the door after the young couple and then went to sit down in the living room with my magazine.

Barely half an hour later, I saw the front garden being lit up by a pair of lights from a car. That was weird- Marley and Jake shouldn't be home for another few hours and I wasn't expecting anybody. I stood up and looked out the window to see who it was and felt a gust of panic when I saw the police car. And then rushed outside where two policemen were just coming walking up the driveway.

"Are you Mrs. Rose?" One of them asked me. I nodded. I was too afraid to force myself to speak. "I'm afraid your daughter's been in an accident." It was just as if a cold hand had taken a grip of my heart and lungs. No- not my Marley. Please God don't take my Marley- not yet. I reached for something to hold onto and reached the side of the porch steps. "She's alive… but they're both hurt. We don't know how bad yet. Would you like to come with us to the hospital or would you like to drive by yourself?"

I stuttered something about that I wasn't sure if I would be able to drive now. The men took each arms and then lead me to the car as if I had been a prisoner. I stepped inside the car and then just sat there and shook out of fear the whole twenty minutes ride to Lima Memorial. I curled up the fabric of my shirt so hard in my fists I thought my nails would stick right through the fabric.

It felt like hours, yet it felt so fast until we were at the hospital and the policemen walked before me inside- to do whatever they needed for the investigation of the accident. So I was left alone in the waiting room and slowly made my way over to the desk with my heart pounding in my chest to hear for news about my Marley.

"Excuse me." I said- weaker than I had planned. "I'm Millie Rose- my daughter Marley and her boyfriend Jacob Puckerman was brought in here a while ago after a car- accident. Is there any news?" The person in the desk- whom could barely have been older than Marley just glared at me and told me to wait in line. When I began asking again- I was desperate he just fizzled to me to wait for my turn and that he didn't know.

"Millie…" I suddenly heard and Carole Hudson- Hummel came walking down the hallway and pressed a button by the door so I could get into the hallway myself. "Marley will be okay… come on I'll take you to her." Just those four first words she said when I came through the doors would have been enough. Everything seemed to be spinning again but this time of relief that my Marley would be safe.

Suddenly it crossed my mind who it actually was I was walking after. I didn't know Carole too well but well enough to know that her son- Finn had died earlier this year- nineteen years old. For a split second it crossed my mind how hard it must be for her to come up to me to tell my child was alright. All the time knowing that she'd never get those news again. That those were the exact opposite of the news she had gotten.

But it quickly faded once she pushed the door to one of the rooms in the hallway and I got to step inside after her to see my Marley just as I came in trying to push herself up on her elbow- with one arm in a sling and several bruises and cuts- and that was all I could see- it was easier said and done and Carole hurried over and rose the top half of the bed so Marley could sit up without having to hurt herself even further.

"Your shoulder was dislocated- but the doctors have put it back in place. A mild concussion so if you feel nauseas or dizzy let us know and we'll give you something for it. Upon that you've got bruises and cuts but nothing that needs stitches or anything like that. If you're in pain let us know that too- we can give you something for that too and we don't want you to be in pain do we?" Marley shook her head weakly. "So… I'll give you two some space… is there anything else you need?"

"Jake." It was barely more than a whisper. I knew my Marley- she'd try to keep strong as far as possible and the shakiness in her voice- didn't tell me how much she must be in pain or something- it said exactly how afraid she was that her loved one would not be alright. Carole nodded, I could finally make my way over to Marley and laid a hand on her hair and started stroking my hand towards the dark brown tresses.

"I'll go see if I can get any news." Carole said and left the room, and tied a small red button around Marley's wrist. "Just press that if you need anything." We were left alone in the room and the door had barely closed after Carole when Marley grimaced. I knew she had been trying to keep strong as long as Carole was in the room- she would try for me as well but then she finally let herself cry.

"Hey." I carefully pulled her close and continued stroking her hair. "I'm sure Jake will be just fine." She let out a half- suppressed sob and pulled her unhurt arm around my neck while pressing her face into my shirt. "Sch, sch, sch." I tried my best to comfort her. But how would I be able to do that? What if I told her Jake was fine and then the news we would get would be the exact opposite?

That's how far I got thinking before the door to the room ended and Tanisha Davies- Jake's mum was showed in with tear- stained cheeks and stuttering something I couldn't catch what it was. I lifted one arm- still holding Marley with the other arm and showed Tanisha to come over. She sat down by me and let me lay my arm around her shoulders and then just sat like that for a while before the door opened and Carole came in again.

"Jake broke a few ribs- one of them punctured his lung so they're putting in a drain up at the OR now. He'll have to stay here for it to heal for a few days but he'll be just fine." Tanisha leaned forward and put her head in her hands. "I'll make sure he comes in here when they're done." Carole turned around again but just as she laid a hand on the door Tanisha looked up.

"How do you do it?" Tanisha exclaimed, Carole stopped and turned around. "Oh my lord… I can't believe I just asked that I am such and idiot and I'm so, so sorry." I frowned- call me stupid but I still didn't really get what it was Tanisha had asked.

"No, no, it's fine. How do I do what?"

"How do you keep on going? How do you breathe?.. how do you keep on wake up when you know that your child is…" Tanisha didn't have the heart to finish the sentence and I looked worriedly to Carole- prepared for just about any reaction from her side. Carole let go of the door so it closed and stroke her neck- seemingly trying to find a good answer.

"I guess I don't." Still looking to Carole she had a bit of a distant look in her eyes and it was clear she was thinking about her son. "But… you don't get to stop being a parent when you haven't got a child anymore. So… I do my best… I can't think about what's going to happen tomorrow or in next week… or even in two seconds so I just… try to get through each moment- one second at the time." She sighed- then without another word left the room.

I hugged Marley tighter and placed a kiss on the top of her head. Marley had been my everything for so long since I and Peter got a divorce more than ten years ago. If I lost my Marley there would be nothing left for me. Maybe the thoughts of what would happen to me without Marley was what made me let go of Tanisha and Marley with a promise I'd be back in a second and walked after Carole- coming out of Marley's room just in time to see the nurse disappear into a room that appeared to be empty and dark to me and walked after.

I came into the room- it appeared to be an empty examine room- Carole wasn't in there but there was a door in the inner wall that read "storage room" so it didn't take much of my brain to work to understand that either I was in the wrong room or that was where she had gone so I made sure the door closed after me and then walked over the floor and into the storage room.

To be storage room the room was very empty. Only a few shelves stood by the walls and a few empty cartons stood on one of them. Carole sat on one of the old shelves to the right from the door. She didn't look up- or even seem to notice when I came into the room and walked over to sit down by her- then she looked up from her hands with tears shining in her eyes. I searched my pockets for a tissue that I later handed to Carole.

"Thanks." It was barely more than a whisper, yet it was clear how thick her voice was with crying. I put my palm against her back. "I'm fine. Just a bit… well… overwhelmed." I stroke her back and hesitated… tell her… not tell her… tell her…. Not tell her. At last I decided for telling her- maybe it would be making it all about me- but maybe it could give Carole a tiny little piece of the strength she so badly needed.

"Twenty years ago… before Marley was born I… I and Peter- Marley's dad. We had a son, a beautiful little boy named Jackie Zachariah- Jack we always called him for short. And…. He was such a happy little boy, as soon as he had smiled for the first time or laughed he'd just laugh all the time. And… at his first birthday almost all at once he looks to me, says Momma and then to Peter and says Dada…. And then he sat there, laughed. But we were having his baptizing in the evening so I put him in the crib we had in the living room to let him rest so he wouldn't be too tired by the time we were going to church." I cleared my throat, it had never been easy for me to talk about Jack- or what happened later.

"And I sat down in the sofa and I must have fallen asleep because what feels like suddenly I wake up from hearing Peter shout- and I saw him lift Jackie up to shake him to wake him but- Jackie never did. So… during that year we had our Jack was the best year of my life- and then suddenly… it was all over. I had no idea what to do with either myself or Peter or anything else. And then- a year later I suddenly sat with a positive pregnancy test in my hand and didn't know whether I should laugh or whether I should cry. And then and there I decided that whatever it would take- I would keep on fighting. And I did and from the beginning I didn't think I'd ever be happy again- but- then Peter came out from the room he was rearranging after Jackie and for Marley then… covered in wooden dust… and I could not stop laughing." Carole let hear a short chuckle through the tears.

"At first it felt like… how am I supposed to be happy now? How am I ever supposed to laugh or even smile again?" I drew a deep breath. "But then Peter told me that- you know Millie when Jack lived he would always love and laugh more when he heard you laugh. And I'm pretty sure your Finn liked hearing you laugh too." Carole nodded. "So don't stop… it doesn't matter if you don't laugh or smile all the time but do not give up. And you know the most important thing?" She shook her head. "Don't forget yourself. When Jack died I would care so much for others I forgot to care for myself and well… now we see where that got me… so don't make the same mistake as I did okay. Because it's okay for you to think about you… and it's okay to cry and to scream and punch and whatever you want to do… and more than anything else it is okay to smile and laugh and be happy…"

"SIDS?!" Carole exclaimed and looked to me. I nodded- yes- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome- that was what had taken my Jack. I took another deep breath and stroke away my own tears with the back of my free hand. "Come here" I heard myself exclaim and Carole leaned into my embrace and cried towards my shoulder. I silently just held her- there was nothing more to say. When Jack died everyone saying "I understand this is hard for you" had been driving me mad- understand? How could they ever understand? They couldn't!

After a couple of minutes Carole pulled away from me again and unfolded the tissue I had given her earlier. "I'm sorry." She mumbled before starting to wipe the tears. I shook my head and told her that there was nothing to be sorry for- and then she stood up to walk out in the ER again. I walked after and walked back to Marley. She was sleeping when I came in so I sat down and played with her hair until she woke up from the sounds with Jake's bed getting pushed into the room.

"Hey guys." Jake smiled weakly. "Oh… Mrs. Rose…" I scolded him without letting him continue for calling me Mrs. Rose instead of Millie outside McKinley. "Yeah… Millie… I think I smashed your car… pretty badly." I stood up from the chair I sat on and rubbed Jake's head.

"Don't worry about that car." I said. "It doesn't matter as long as you are both safe." I was going to say more when Jake started coughing. Followed by sharp intakes of breaths and more coughing. "Sch," I continued rubbing his head. "Try to breathe slow… slowly… that's it Jake… sch, sch." He coughed again.

"Oh God that hurts." He moaned and grimaced in pain. He too had a button tied around his wrist so I slightly lifted his hand to be able to press it and it couldn't have been ten seconds later when Carole came rushing in. Jake was given more painkillers and then Carole stayed- apparently because the doctor thought she needed to keep an eye on Marley and Jake. I had a good feeling it might actually be because he wanted to give Carole a chance to relax because to me it seemed like she was starting to have trouble keeping her eyes open.

"Hey…" the doctor came up to me while Carole was getting some paper work. If that nurse falls asleep… let her sleep… she's been here for the last twenty four hours. Her husband's in Washington and whenever he is she will stay until we more or less kick her out- though this time none of us seem to have the heart to do so." I nodded and kept a half eye on the nurse as she sat down by a cupboard and put the files on her lap.

"Hey…" I went over to her. "Have you got a paper and a pencil for me to borrow?" Did nurses keep everything in their pockets?! A couple of seconds later she had pulled a small notebook and a pencil in my hands and quickly noted my address and cellphone number over it. "Here." I gave the notebook back to Carole. "This is my address and number… if there is anything you need… a meal, a ride… somewhere to stay for a while… then just call or show up okay? It doesn't matter if it's Christmas day or three in the morning just give me a call." Carole looked up at me with so much gratefulness in her eyes she almost made me cry all over again while I went back to sit by Marley's bed and looked up at the small TV in the corner where pictures from the accident were just starting to show- and I was suddenly very much happier than before that both Jake and Marley had made it out from that wreck alive.

"I'll pay back for that car." Jake said- despite my earlier protests. "I'll get a job and pay back every dollar for it." I protested again, but Jake was barely awake and couldn't take it in so I quickly gave up and then continued with just sitting there playing with Marley's hair. Marley was sleeping but woke up- not quite yet enough to look around and see and hear what was going on.

"Is she supposed to be sleeping on duty?" She asked- I looked to where Marley looked and saw Carole- with the files still in her hand and a pencil behind hair- leaning against the cupboard heavily and fast asleep. I chuckled shortly and stood up and got a blanket I found in a cupboard to spread it over her.

"Today she is supposed to be sleeping on duty yes." I answered my Marley and walked back to sit down where Marley was almost falling asleep with her head against my arm. "You know when you were little I could sit with you for hours and hours when you were sleeping just to make sure you were still breathing." Marley slightly opened her eyes and looked to me.

"Mum… I'm not Jack… I'm fine, I'm not leaving you- ever."

"I know…" I answered. "So don't you dare ever scaring me like you did tonight again okay?" Marley sat up to be able to lean against my shoulder.

"I'm not planning on doing that mum."

**Awwwwww, seriously adorable. I had the idea with Jack while writing and I could not let it go- so I hope you liked it… I feel so bad for Carole… for Millie too for that matter… and for Jake, and Marley… yeah you see how this is going. **


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